Players get surprise drug tests

 PARIS (AP) -- French officials went to the Alpine slopes to administer surprise drug tests to six soccer players Friday, part of an effort to avoid a drug scandal when the country is the host for next year's World Cup.
 But the officials who came looking for drugs found themselves under criticism for crashing a family gathering.
 The players and coach Aime Jacquet were interviewed by French TV on snowy hillsides as colleagues hot-dogged down the ski runs. They expressed shock at the test during what they hoped would be a few days of rest and relaxation.
 "It's a bit out of place," Jacquet said, adding the party was planned "for fun, for the families, with their children."
 The testing was part of a crackdown that intensified when officials confirmed several new doping cases in October. Several players have tested positive for steroids or illegal drug use.
 The French Football Federation at the time backed a get-tough plan to fight doping by establishing new guidelines with clubs, players, trainers and doctors ahead of the 1998 World Cup, to be held in 10 French cities in June and July.