The answer, according to Fahey, is to insist on a biological profile and passport for each player, an issue he raised with Sepp Blatter, the secretary general of FIFA, when they met last week. FIFA announced after that meeting that it will introduce biological profiles at June's Confederations Cup tournament in Brazil. The scheme will see a biological profile taken from each player two months before so that any marked changes in that profile at the tournament could point to blood doping or hormone use.

"I would like to see, particularly team sports, take up the athlete's biological passport," Fahey said.

"There is absolutely no reason why in the major codes of football, and in the major sporting events right throughout the world they shouldn't all (have) the tool known as the biological passport. That will do a lot to stamp out doping in sport, and most of those major codes can easily afford the cost of running that program."

But, for now, the focus remains on cycling, Operation Puerto, Fuentes and Tyler Hamilton's testimony. Fahey hopes that the trial will be a watershed moment for doping in sport.

"This is not the first court case that we've had on this subject over the past seven years, but we will continue to exhaust all legal rights," Fahey said.

"We believe it is important enough to do that. I hope this may well be the final court case that we have to participate in."