In a statement released on UEFA’s website today, which confirmed that its new sample storage and retesting process, aimed at combating doping within football, was officially up and running, the body confirmed they had agreements in place with 21 National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs).

They had originally been in partnership with Russia but that has since been removed.

UEFA has agreements with Austria, Belgium, Belarus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

The decision to suspend the cooperation and knowledge-sharing partnership with Russia was directly as a result of RUSADA’s non-compliance with the WADA Code.

Russian players are still being tested under the supervision of WADA, who have contracted UK Anti-Doping to conduct testing in the country, the UEFA spokesperson also confirmed.

UEFA aim to have signed agreements with the NADOs of all 24 competing nations at this summer’s European Championships, due to take place in France from June 10 to July 10.

They claim Euro 2016 will "be notable for one of the most comprehensive anti-doping testing operations ever carried out in a team sport".

The agreements are not essential to the testing of players, according to European football’s governing body.

UEFA launched an anti-doping programme at the beginning of the current 2015-2016 season, including the introduction of the steroidal module of the athletes’ WADA athlete biologicalpPassport.

The European governing body has conducted more thann 1,100 in-competition and over 400 out-of-competition tests so far this campaign, it claimed. 

“UEFA is always keen to use whatever means at its disposal to fight against doping in football," anti-doping panel chairman Mogens Kreutzfeldt said.

"Storage and retesting has a clear deterrent effect.

“We will keep all samples for retesting should new methods become available.

"Retesting will be targeted based on intelligence and on the emergence of any new illegal substances previously unknown and on any new testing techniques that have been developed in the time since the samples were taken."

RUSADA was deemed to be in breach of the Code in November after the WADA Independent Commission released an explosive report into doping in the country.

It alleged the presence of systemic doping within Russian athletics, as well as the involvement of the FSB secret police in the testing programme.

The 323-page report recommended RUSADA be declared non-compliant and the WADA Foundation Board upheld the suggestion at a meeting in Colorado Springs on November 18.

WADA last month insisted they were fully committed to tackling doping in sport in Russia beyond just athletics following a letter sent by United States athletes.

The letter, signed by United States Olympic Committee Athletes' Council chair Sarah Konrad, has called upon WADA and the International Olympic Committee to take the lead in ensuring all sports in Russia are investigated.