Malakia Head Coach Bilal Felix. (Awan Moses/Eye Radio).

A South Sudanese coach has warned that the country risks being banned from international football competitions over allegations of widespread use of doping by players to boost performance.

Bright Stars U17 and Malakia FC Head Coach Bilal Flex accuses some footballers in the local leagues of using the internationally forbidden drugs, and urged the local and national football governing bodies to take measures.

Mr. Felix made the remarks in an interview with Eye Radio on Wednesday following his Malakia side’s loss to Kator on penalties.

While refusing to point fingers at anyone, Felix went on to claim that some players at different clubs in Juba are not physically normal because they have used drugs to enhance their performance.

Bilal said the South Sudan Football Association should introduce doping control at the start of every league to save the country from the embarrassment of future disqualification.

“I want to appeal to the local football association and national federation that they must introduce anti-doping test here in South Sudan,” he said.

“There are some players who are not playing naturally. They are not normal physically, you see this in all clubs, so I’m urging them do so, is just a recommendation from me, because some players are using extra-power, they are taking drugs.”

According to the world football-governing body FIFA, doping is when players take prohibited substances or use prohibited methods to improve their performance.

FIFA maintains a tough stance against the vice and says priority is to safeguard the physical health and mental integrity of players, uphold and preserve the ethics of sport and ensure that all competitors have an equal chance.

The body has thus set the anti-doping rules in football in line with the WADA Code – the definitive anti-doping rulebook – and has a worldwide network of professional and trained doping control officers who help conduct doping controls in and out of competition.