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UEFA adds steroid monitoring to anti-doping program

#INSERT type:image caption:UEFA says it has added monitoring of steroid use by players to its biological passport. END#

NYON, Switzerland -- UEFA says it has added monitoring of steroid use by players to its biological passport program this season.

Announcing its anti-doping plans Friday, UEFA did not commit to no-notice testing of players at the 2016 European Championship.

UEFA says players in its competitions, including Euro 2016 and the Champions League, will give more than 2,000 blood or urine samples. Players who could be selected for the 24-team European tournament in France can be tested from January.

UEFA has a similar testing regime to FIFA for the World Cup, picking two players at random from each team to give samples immediately after matches.

Critics say this program is predictable and gives a doping window of several days between matches.

UEFA says ''it is always possible to do additional and/or targeted testing.''