Doping in Soccer/Football

[sniper]

I read through all the pages of this great topic to compile some of the best doping cases in football. Listed them here:

http://www.4dfoot.com/2013/02/09/doping-in-football-fifty-years-of-evidence/

as others have already pointed out, this is top drawer stuff.
very well-structured. I like how you only provide the most relevant quotes combined with links to the corresponding articles, so that the article doesn't get too dense.
also, I like that you let the reader draw his own conclusions, rather than impose them onto the reader. It'S not obtrusive. I think that is clever. Otherwise you'll get people calling you biassed, bitter, angry, etc.

i didn't know about the Brescia-Segura-Pep-Barca, link, by the way.
perhaps it's been noticed before, but thanks for stressing it again.

would be great if you could get this article under the attention of a wider audience.

 

[Open Horizon]

Thanks for the positive feedback guys. I'm a long time reader of The Clinic, so I definitely owe all of you some gratitude. This forum has definitely been a beacon of truth in the desert of ignorance. The LA-saga might have made the regular sports fan more aware of doping use, but I still feel football exists in its own little bubble, shielded by massive commercial and emotional interests. This world will prove much tougher to crack than cycling's. Not sure how to get this article to a wider audience, though.

 

[Parker]

I thought the article was brilliant but one thing of particular note for me was the possible connection/connection between doping and the rising number of recent cases of footballers fatally collapsing or near fatal collapsing as in Fabrice Muamba last year. I'm not saying his case was directly linked but there has definitely been an upsurge of these in recent years and you struggle to find a reasonable explanation for this. Possibly we now have one.

There hasn't been an upsurge of it. There has just been an upsurge of you noticing it, due to the interent providing a global media and you taking an interest. Young people have been dying of sudden cardiac problems for many many years, in large numbers. 99% of them aren't high level sports people.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

There hasn't been an upsurge of it. There has just been an upsurge of you noticing it, due to the interent providing a global media and you taking an interest. Young people have been dying of sudden cardiac problems for many many years, in large numbers. 99% of them aren't high level sports people.

The number of reported cases (or rather, cases that reach global media rather than being restricted to fairly localised media) has gone up, however.

Thanks for the positive feedback guys. I'm a long time reader of The Clinic, so I definitely owe all of you some gratitude. This forum has definitely been a beacon of truth in the desert of ignorance. The LA-saga might have made the regular sports fan more aware of doping use, but I still feel football exists in its own little bubble, shielded by massive commercial and emotional interests. This world will prove much tougher to crack than cycling's. Not sure how to get this article to a wider audience, though.

You might want to mention Carlos Gurpegui's seemingly neverending legal wranglings over his positive test too; it took about four years to get him to actually sit out his time. I guess you could call him the Alejandro Valverde of football. And that Rio Ferdinand's whereabouts ban wasn't about forgetfulness or dopiness the way it was portrayed, but rather that it was about a test he knew about and deliberately avoided. And was it Gattuso who once skipped a drugs test by simply saying that he didn't have time?

David James, former England GK, said he feels football doesn't have a drugs problem and the lack of positives is evidence of that, however admits to having only been tested a handful of times. Arsène Wenger, in addition to his comments about EPO/blood boosting implications, also mentioned that he had players on his squad who had been there for nearly five years without a drugs test. Players are allowed to miss up to 3 tests but I forget the time frame; it is a bit weird but basically means that a player could theoretically have a ten year career, be tested three times, not show up to any of them, and that would be fine.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Yes, it was Gattuso. Oliver Kahn was suspended for one match for misbehaving during a drug test ( dont know what that means).

 

[sniper]

2011: Ramón Segura answers to Mourinho's insinuations about FC Barca PED abuse.

"Es como si tomar azúcar fuera dopaje"

http://www.marca.com/2011/03/14/futbol/equipos/barcelona/1300093098.html

nice summary here of what made/makes Barca suspicious:
http://www.europeanboard.net/t23100-the-barcelona-doping-scandal

 

[hrotha]

There's also the hematocrit levels at Parma in the 90s, where nearly everyone was above 50% (with the third goalie at 63%).

 

[Tom375]

There hasn't been an upsurge of it. There has just been an upsurge of you noticing it, due to the interent providing a global media and you taking an interest. Young people have been dying of sudden cardiac problems for many many years, in large numbers. 99% of them aren't high level sports people.

..Possibley due to more media coverage, however don't recall any cases of proffessional footballers breaking down on the pitch with sudden cardiac problems until 4 or 5 years ago. I would have expected still, that providing the ratios haven't changed that (of that 1%) there to have been a few more cases of note in the first 30 years of my life.
Whilst the internet (i pressume) has led to more global media coverage of various stuff, coverage of football has always been very strong and i think it would have always been big news that a normal healthy footballer had broken down on the pitch, granted we get more coverage of other European leagues stars these days and with things such as S*y sports news rolling media constantly coming up with anything and everthing.
I'd say given the article posted above (well sourced, quotations from well known players/coaches etc.) and what we know about football (win at all costs, hence all sorts for cheating for as long as i can remember). It would be fair to assume that there is probably widespread doping in football and this is likely to have some consequences for players health. I'm not saying it is definitely related but its worth looking into, no?

 

[The Hitch]

Thanks for the positive feedback guys. I'm a long time reader of The Clinic, so I definitely owe all of you some gratitude. This forum has definitely been a beacon of truth in the desert of ignorance. The LA-saga might have made the regular sports fan more aware of doping use, but I still feel football exists in its own little bubble, shielded by massive commercial and emotional interests. This world will prove much tougher to crack than cycling's. Not sure how to get this article to a wider audience, though.

Not sure you'll want to get this kind of thing to a.wider audience. Not all Barca fans, Spain fans, Juve fans and fans of whoever else you accuse in that article, would find it funny.

 

[The Hitch]

nice summary here of what made/makes Barca suspicious:
http://www.europeanboard.net/t23100-the-barcelona-doping-scandal

All the response to that post on that forum make the Armstrong groupies of the clinic look like Ashenden.

 

[sniper]

Not sure you'll want to get this kind of thing to a.wider audience. Not all Barca fans, Spain fans, Juve fans and fans of whoever else you accuse in that article, would find it funny.

anonymity is bliss, indeed.

 

[del1962]

Prieto - Our sport has nothing to do with cycling

 

[The Hitch]

Strange headline. Doping set to.rock football, yet everything else in the article says the guys instructed with covering it up are doing their job.

 

[will10]

I read through all the pages of this great topic to compile some of the best doping cases in football. Listed them here:

http://www.4dfoot.com/2013/02/09/doping-in-football-fifty-years-of-evidence/

Magnificent work my friend. I wonder if any mainstream media would have the balls to run such a story.

 

[sniper]

and again not a word on barca/real.
has everybody forgotten about the lemonde story?
or could even the faintest of speculations bring journos into legal trouble?

 

[Albatros]

and again not a word on barca/real.
has everybody forgotten about the lemonde story?
or could even the faintest of speculations bring journos into legal trouble?

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia, Betis, Rsoc (Eufemiano wrote), Milan, Atleti...is there anyone that Eufe didn't dope?

BTW, Ajax top of the list of distance covered in the CH L. All natural?

 

[sniper]

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia, Betis, Rsoc (Eufemiano wrote), Milan, Atleti...is there anyone that Eufe didn't dope?

BTW, Ajax top of the list of distance covered in the CH L. All natural?

What a pitty that the results don't match their running power.
Oh well. To be sure, I fully trust Ajax to be very up-to-date on matters of doping.
But the Netherlands don't have any extraordinary performances to account for. Spain has two decades of outlandish sporting achievements to explain. Hence all eyes on Spain.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Hahahah

There was Milan derby which just ended 1-1 and after the game Javier Zanetti was asked how he has been able to play brilliantly for so long and he answered by saying that he drinks a lot of water.

 

[Albatros]

What a pitty that the results don't match their running power.
Oh well. To be sure, I fully trust Ajax to be very up-to-date on matters of doping.
But the Netherlands don't have any extraordinary performances to account for. Spain has two decades of outlandish sporting achievements to explain. Hence all eyes on Spain.

Where are the Johan Cruyffs or Rijkaards of this generation? I mean, all is not down to dope. Do you believe that the Ajax of 1995, the last great Ajax team, were relatively doping better than the current one?

 

[cocteau_ireland]

I read through all the pages of this great topic to compile some of the best doping cases in football. Listed them here:

http://www.4dfoot.com/2013/02/09/doping-in-football-fifty-years-of-evidence/

Good stuff & thanx. Will be forwarding the link to many in my phonebook. Gary not phil neville if brushing up.

 

[JimmyFingers]

There was also a dodgy episode with England recently, where I think the U21s were supposedly given caffeine pills before a game, the game was postponed and they players then had to take sleeping pills to 'relax' and get to sleep.

Sounds a hell of a a lot like the La Bomba followed by morphine injections in the legs as used by early cyclists. Going to see if I can find a link.

[edit] It was the senior team in their game against Poland:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/oct/17/slumbering-england-poland-wake-up-call

 

[sniper]

There was also a dodgy episode with England recently, where I think the U21s were supposedly given caffeine pills before a game, the game was postponed and they players then had to take sleeping pills to 'relax' and get to sleep.

Sounds a hell of a a lot like the La Bomba followed by morphine injections in the legs as used by early cyclists. Going to see if I can find a link.

[edit] It was the senior team in their game against Poland:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/oct/17/slumbering-england-poland-wake-up-call

interesting. wonder who the source of that info is. article doesn't say.
the story sounds plausible though (except for the "caffeine" probably not being caffeine).
we've heard plenty of stories of players getting juiced up shortly before the game with speed-like products resulting in almost immediate energy boosts.
so you get (literally) pumped up for the game, and then if you don't play what do you do with all the energy.

 

[The Hitch]

That reminds me.of the 6 nations last year when Irelands game with France was called off just before.kick off and the commentators.were talking about how difficult it would be for the 2 sets of.players to get down from the zone they had spent all day building themselves up to.

Not that i think the commentators had doping in mind but given what we know about doping in rugby, its possible that element was there too.

 

[sublimit]

Yes, it was Gattuso. Oliver Kahn was suspended for one match for misbehaving during a drug test ( dont know what that means).

Not good. I hope that incident involved pulling a face or larking around and not something more sinister.

 

[nevada]

Have Barca stopped juicing ?