Dispatches: The Truth About Drugs In Football

[JRanton]

Dispatches investigates the use of both recreational and performance-enhancing substances in our national game.

Reporter Antony Barnett examines football's drug-testing regime, raises questions about how the sport deals with its drug cheats and also looks at the use of some bizarre but legal treatments players undergo.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide/series-100/episode-1

Airs on Channel 4 (UK) next Monday at 8.00pm GMT.

Might be an interesting watch.

 

[THISISIT]

At a minimum I just can't believe EPO use isn't incredibly widespread given what appears to be very lax testing.

Only caveats, it's primarily a skill sport and maybe a culture of doping never took hold as it did in cycling.

Then when you think about the money involved, the fact that a disproportionate percentage of goals are scored late in the game, and often enough fatigue is obviously playing a role in a player's or team's performance, well...

I know how enough people will respond when the stakes are so high and a rather obvious remedy is available.

 

[The Hitch]

After all these years I dont really expect anything other than the "footballers are good people, they would not dope like evil cyclists", conclusion, but I will record it just in case.

Thanks a lot for starting the thread and making me aware of the program.

 

[euanli]

Cheers for letting me know as well. Weird I've not seen this trailed at all.

 

[Midnightfright]

I fully expect too here about a bunch of Sunday leaguers who like to get Coke'd and E'd out there nut.

 

[Mambo95]

After all these years I dont really expect anything other than the "footballers are good people, they would not dope like evil cyclists", conclusion, but I will record it just in case.

Thanks a lot for starting the thread and making me aware of the program.

You can't have watched Dispatches before then. "Everything's Fine. No need for concern", isn't really their style.

 

[maltiv]

I'm so ****ing sick of hearing "Footballers don't dope, they don't have to, it's mostly technique anyway!" Sure, they won't be willing to take some drugs which will make them significantly faster and probably increase their pay by a few million euros a year, with no risk whatsoever of getting caught as they are never tested...

 

[Nick C.]

I would have thought that a sport that involves running up and down would very much benefit from the same assistance that works in cyc,ling and other endurance sports. But then again I'm in the US so what do I know about the other football, I first thought it was going to be about HGH and the NFL.

 

[luckyboy]

Thanks for making me aware this is on.

"footballers are good people..

lol, I think it would be a stretch for anyone to say that.

 

[Hors-Catégorie]

What about those football clubs that Dr Eufemiano Fuentes worked for.

 

[patterson_hood]

There is a large billboard poster for Sky tv near where I live that has a picture of Lionel Messi on it. He has some of the biggest thighs I've ever seen in football and they would probably rival most cyclists. Obviously anecdotal but the first thing I thought when I saw it was doping.

 

[Stingray34]

There is a large billboard poster for Sky tv near where I live that has a picture of Lionel Messi on it. He has some of the biggest thighs I've ever seen in football and they would probably rival most cyclists. Obviously anecdotal but the first thing I thought when I saw it was doping.

Actually, the dude does dope: he has a HGH deficiency and Barcelona paid for his treatment as a kid/teenager. Wouldn't be surprised if it continues, the surly little b'stard.

Who can forget the infamous Cannavarro video from 99 where he's filmed getting injections in a hotel room...

It wasn't B12.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

You can't have watched Dispatches before then. "Everything's Fine. No need for concern", isn't really their style.

Oh good.
Because when I first read the blurp it sounded like its just going to focus on recreational drugs and soccer fans could live in their little world that PEDs would have no benefit to the game.

 

[Hors-Catégorie]

Football is like several other sports, where a lot of money is involved. Corruption and drugs will inevitably be immersed within the realm.

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

What about those football clubs that Dr Eufemiano Fuentes worked for.

According to Fuentes they theatend to kill him if he'd tell.
The roumors say, and there are quite strong ones, that Real Madrid and FC Barcelona where two of them. Being mostly the exact same stuff the cyclist were on. Just without all be bloody worries about getting caught of course.

And anyone who belives using PEDs is no use in Football because it's about positioning, technique, tactics and strategy should try to do only 7kms over 90 minutes only by walking parts and doing most of it in sprints or full sprints.

 

[Hors-Catégorie]

There is a large billboard poster for Sky tv near where I live that has a picture of Lionel Messi on it. He has some of the biggest thighs I've ever seen in football and they would probably rival most cyclists. Obviously anecdotal but the first thing I thought when I saw it was doping.

He has a fair bit of catching up to do in order to match his fellow countryman Diego Maradona.

 

[Hors-Catégorie]

According to Fuentes they theatend to kill him if he'd tell.
The roumors say, and there are quite strong ones, that Real Madrid and FC Barcelona where two of them. Being mostly the exact same stuff the cyclist were on. Just without all be bloody worries about getting caught of course.

And anyone who belives using PEDs is no use in Football because it's about positioning, technique, tactics and strategy should try to do only 7kms over 90 minutes only by walking parts and doing most of it in sprints or full sprints.

Yes those are good point's. And the monetary reward's that the game now offer's are extremely lucrative.

 

[classicomano]

I remember after the Champions League finale of '96 between Juventus and Ajax, Ajax players openly accused Juventus of being doped to the gills.

 

[sherer]

According to Fuentes they theatend to kill him if he'd tell.
The roumors say, and there are quite strong ones, that Real Madrid and FC Barcelona where two of them. Being mostly the exact same stuff the cyclist were on. Just without all be bloody worries about getting caught of course.

And anyone who belives using PEDs is no use in Football because it's about positioning, technique, tactics and strategy should try to do only 7kms over 90 minutes only by walking parts and doing most of it in sprints or full sprints.

be interesting to see if this programme mentions Operation Puerto and the links to Real Barca or just ignores that.

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

Yes those are good point's. And the monetary reward's that the game now offer's are extremely lucrative.

I don't even think that money would be the driving force behind doping.
Most of the PEDs that are sold on the market never get in touch with professionals at all.

As I am actually sitting in a library now, trying to get my thoughts about Günter Anders straigtht, I don't want to look up the sources for that now, but I should to that later or sometime the next days, as this brings light onto a very important aspect of doping-psychology.

Probably someone in the clinic already has opened a thread about this, I am following this forum not enough in general.
Does anyone know?

be interesting to see if this programme mentions Operation Puerto and the links to Real Barca or just ignores that.

It would be quite nice. For the German speakers here's a radio programm on doping in football, fuentes etc.

http://web.ard.de/radio/radiofeature/?page_id=266#awp::?page_id=266

 

[euanli]

Just saw an advert for this on Channel 4 being the News. It had a voiceover accusing the FA of covering up positives over the image of cocaine being split into lines.

Kinda less hopeful about this being about performance enhancing drugs.

 

[DirtyWorks]

And anyone who belives using PEDs is no use in Football because it's about positioning, technique, tactics and strategy should try to do only 7kms over 90 minutes only by walking parts and doing most of it in sprints or full sprints.

Exactly.

How many YEARS did the "never tested positive" meme live in spite of the obvious contradictions? It took a major media outlet to finally kill that line in the U.S.

They'll get at least an official letter from way up the football federation(s) chain using the McQuaid, "Doping is under control. Less than 2% of our athletes test positive." quote to end the discussion. If it's really important, they'll put someone up to the task of lying to the camera. But that's about all.

It's beautiful rhetoric. Too bad people want to believe the lies being told to them.

 

[blackcat]

I remember after the Champions League finale of '96 between Juventus and Ajax, Ajax players openly accused Juventus of being doped to the gills.

#jaap stam
#edgar davids
#Arsenal_Spaniards_Arsène_Wenger
#Christiano_Ronaldo_jawline_and_bonestructure
#Rio_Ferdinand
#Beckhams_new_bonestructure_too

 

[sniper]

#jaap stam
#edgar davids
#Arsenal_Spaniards_Arsène_Wenger
#Christiano_Ronaldo_jawline_and_bonestructure
#Rio_Ferdinand
#Beckhams_new_bonestructure_too

I remember Frank de Boer got snatched, too.
(Nandrolon, 2001, while playing for Barca)

 

[patterson_hood]

Actually, the dude does dope: he has a HGH deficiency and Barcelona paid for his treatment as a kid/teenager. Wouldn't be surprised if it continues, the surly little b'stard.

Who can forget the infamous Cannavarro video from 99 where he's filmed getting injections in a hotel room...

It wasn't B12.

Well that confirms my suspicions.

Oh good.
Because when I first read the blurp it sounded like its just going to focus on recreational drugs and soccer fans could live in their little world that PEDs would have no benefit to the game.

I saw an advert for it on channel 4 which seemed to indicate it would focus on recreational drug use, can still hope though.