Ron Atkinson was yesterday urged to come forward if he has any evidence to support his claim of widespread drug use in football. In amazing revelations, the former Manchester United, Sheffield Wednesday and Coventry manager admits: To subjecting Aston Villa players to blood tests, discovering two had taken cannabis.

That Premiership players take to the pitch every week "with cocaine, cannabis and all sorts of funny tablets buzzing around their system".

That "a well-known England international . . . is reputed to be the biggest dealer in football". Although, when pressed he revealed he had "only heard it on rumour or hearsay'.'

But the game's authorities are stunned by Atkinson's accusations given the sport's successful testing and education programme over the last few years.

Premier League spokesman Mike Lee said: "It's a matter for the drugs unit at the Football Association, but if Ron Atkinson has evidence then he should make it available.

"Obviously we at the Premier League fully support the work and the efforts of the FA with their testing programme. They have done an excellent job over the years.

"But if there is anything going on, like Atkinson claims, then I would urge anyone with any information or evidence to come forward."

FA spokesman, Steve Double, would also like Atkinson to tell all, but knows it will be down to the conscience of the man himself.

"If there's any truth in these claims then we would like to hear about it," said Double. "Although it's up to Ron whether he comes forward or not."

The FA, however, are refusing to rest on their laurels, despite so far winning the battle against drug abuse which has seen a decrease in the number of positive cases allied to an increase in tests.

Double admits the Association are committed to further strengthening their efforts with regard to their existing programme and are "hopeful" of being given the go-ahead by the Sports Council in the very near future.

"Over the last few years, the number of tests has risen from 272 to more than 500," he said. "The positive finds were three last year, five the year before that, seven before that and 12 before that. There's a definite downward trend.

"We are testing more, but finding less, while a recent proposal submitted to the Government for doubling the existing drug programme is now being looked at by the Sports Council."

Atkinson would also like to see the current random policy become compulsory, with tests every two weeks, a system he believes "would rumble the few and protect the innocent majority".

But Double reckons such a method is flawed, revealing: "The players would know when the tests are coming. You could argue it would make it easy for them to dodge.

"With the system the way it is, the players don't know when the tests will take place. So it will remain random."

Organisations such as the Professional Footballers' Association and the League Managers' Association are confident the level of drug use referred to by Atkinson does not exist in the game.

Of the 27 positive tests over the past four years, 26 of those have been for social drugs such as cannabis, rather than the performance-enhancing variety.

PFA deputy chief executive Brendon Batson said: "We are aware of a drug culture, particularly among the youth.

"But I don't know of anything like Atkinson is referring to because there is a terrific fear-factor involved in testing, as can be seen in the downward trend of positive cases."

John Barnwell, chief executive of the League Managers' Association, admits he is also astonished by the revelations. He said: "I'm confident we do not have as serious a drug problem as Atkinson is claiming.

"I've never come across anything like it, either during my managerial career or in my current day-to-day dealings with other managers.

The FA's medical chief Alan Hodson, was quick to defend the existing policy.

"I can't speak for Ron Atkinson but I can reassure everybody that we have the finest drug campaign - both in education and testing - in the world," he said. "Of course there are going to be those that fall prey to temptation but our mission is to try and hammer the message home and I think we do a pretty good job of it.

"Our young footballers are not immune to the pressures. The lads tell me that they can be approached many, many times in the same night if they're out socialising by people who want to sell them drugs.

"Often the pushers don't even know they are footballers but when they do the pressure becomes even more intense."

Hodson, who rescued the career of cocaine abuser Paul Merson four years ago by developing an extensive programme of rehabilitation which is still going on today, says there are no grounds for complacency.

"More and more resources are being put into education and testing all the time," he said. "I am not prepared to discuss precise figures but every club in the country will get a visit at some stage during the season on at least one occasion."

Michelle Verokken, the head of anti-doping at the UK Sports Council, has been campaigning vociferously for drugs to be drummed out of sport in general and believes that a crackdown needs to be made now.

"We shall have to wait and see as to what the FA will decide to do but I hope we can make sure the sport is clean rather than allowing it to drift and then have huge numbers of footballers testing positive."

"This is obviously something that can't just be washed under the carpet. There have been huge allegations made and the next step has to be considered carefully.

"We want to sit down with the FA and discuss various levels of drug testing but that is a meeting that is already planned and this will obviously now become part of that discussion."