‘Everybody wanted to be in the post-match drug test, because you could drink as much alcohol as you wanted until you needed a wee!’ Gordon Strachan on his Scotland World Cup adventures

Scotland midfielder Gordon Strachan has recalled the chaotic and unregulated nature of post-match drug testing during the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Speaking to FourFourTwo, Strachan described how players would eagerly volunteer for drug tests because the process allowed them to drink alcohol freely until they produced a urine sample. "Everybody wanted to be in the post-match drug test, because you could drink as much alcohol as you wanted until you needed a wee," Strachan said. He added, "You'd think, 'You beauty, I'm in the drug test!'" The former Leeds United and Scotland international, who earned 50 caps, played in both the 1982 and 1986 World Cups. Strachan highlighted the stark contrast between modern professional football and the disorganised environment of past tournaments, where players shared poor-quality rooms and had limited communication with the outside world. "There were no phones, there was no telly – you were sharing a horrendous room with somebody who was the exact opposite of your wife!" he recalled. At the time, players received just one three-minute phone call per week, often with others waiting in line behind them. Strachan later managed Scotland between 2013 and 2017.

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