Professional footballers will also not have to provide details of their home addresses and contact details to WADA either in the way that athletes in other sports will have to in order to allow drugs testers to make surprise visits.

The new WADA code stipulates fixed penalties for athletes who test positive for drugs in all sports with the agency able to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne in cases where it feels punishments had been too lenient.

The FA’s document submitted to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee’s inquiry into drugs in sport said: “We understand that FIFA’s regulations will be endorsed by WADA with the following features. This reflects the views and approach of the FA.”

The exemptions that FIFA are negotiating are:

:: a case by case approach

:: no fixed penalties

:: assessment and rehabilitation where appropriate

:: FIFA and national associations to be the relevant anti-doping agencies in football

:: no requirement for daily whereabouts information

:: no WADA appeals, but FIFA to continue to have an overall review role.

John Scott, UK Sport’s acting director of drug-free sport, confirmed: “That’s what the FA have been told by FIFA and it will be formally announced in June.”

The revelations will infuriate other sports, who signed up to the code in the hope that it would lead to a consistent approach to doping across the whole world and every sport.

In effect, FIFA appear to have been allowed to completely maintain their independence in dealing with doping cases without WADA even having the power to appeal in cases they do not feel have been dealt with appropriately.

To rub salt in the wounds, the FA told the inquiry today that they were opposed to any involvement in a separate independent disciplinary panel being set up to pass judgement in doping cases across all sports – something that both swimming and athletics chiefs have called for.

“We are aware of discussions for an independent agency to fulfil a wider role, for instance to take on the prosecution and determination of any disciplinary cases,” the FA’s director of corporate affairs Nic Coward said in evidence to the inquiry.

“The FA has existing rules, regulations, procedures and resources to deal with these matters. The introduction of another agency, on a national level, would not help.”