Performance enhancing drug usage in the Premier League

[melia]

I've raised this in the past but given the recent revelations in athletics and rugby (along with the history in cycling), how long before the lid is lifted on PED usage in football?

Surely the amount of money in the Premier League is more of an incentive than the (relatively) paltry amounts available in the other sports.

Blood-doping, EPO, testosterone usage etc. would definitely improve the fitness required in football so I wouldn't be surprised if many were on some sort of program. I would imagine that a good rotation policy would assist in the gathering of oxygen-rich blood for use when the season demanded the extra top-up.

 

I'm just puzzled that we don't hear about it. It can't be because it doesn't happen can it?

[Gunga Din]

the way we've been playing the last 6 months i douby any of our players are taking anything performance enhancing

[Cam]

There was a lot of stories about it being one of the 'new fangled modern ways' that Wenger brought with him from Japan.

 

I would be amazed if it isn't rife given the money involved in trying to sneak an edge. And the governing bodies will all be up to their eyeballs in covering it up as much as the individual clubs.

[PhilM]

There was a lot of stories about it being one of the 'new fangled modern ways' that Wenger brought with him from Japan.

 

I would be amazed if it isn't rife given the money involved in trying to sneak an edge. And the governing bodies will all be up to their eyeballs in covering it up as much as the individual clubs.

 

Arsene Wenger's injury list would suggest that his new fangled modern ways involve sledgehammers and rusty nails.

[melia]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doping_in_association_football#Spain

 

 

 

The French paper Le Monde alleges that in the course of investigating Operation Puerto, a doping bust primarily focused on cycling, extensive documentation was found of "seasonal preparation plans" for Real Madrid and FC Barcelona that include notation suggesting doping practices.

 

[muleskinner]

Barcelona from the Rijkaard era onwards I'm convinced were/are.

[Hassony]

They should just allow it in football, if that means no football at the Olympics, than so be it

[Ed the Wool]

the way we've been playing the last 6 months i douby any of our players are taking anything performance enhancing

 

Ket more likely.

[DecidedByPoll]

I heard a number of years back that Wenger had all his team on creatine. Legal of course, but it's not a stretch to think some teams took it further.

 

Until there are blood tests taken on footballers, we'll not know for certain, but it's almost doubtless that it's happening. Whether that's here or abroad.

[_00_deathscar]

There were rumours about the mid-90s Juve team being on something, no?

 

But then you see the pattern here: success = performance enhancing drug usage?

Because no one would suspect LFC right now of taking any.

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

there's more to footy than that though. Performance in footy is more than speed & stamina - look at Djibs....

 

In terms of recovering from injury, perhaps

[aka Dus]

There already is blood testing in football, no?

[FakeNewsBear]

Hgh usage for injury recovery is rumoured to be prevalant in S.America and rumoured that Messi's doctors used it recently for recovery

[Bologna]

There were rumours about the mid-90s Juve team being on something, no?

 

But then you see the pattern here: success = performance enhancing drug usage?

Because no one would suspect LFC right now of taking any.

 

Turin's Palazzo di Giustizia, Judge Giuseppe Casalbore sentenced Agricola to 22 months in jail for supplying Juventus players with performance-enhancing drugs, including the banned blood-boosting hormone erythropoietin (EPO), between 1994 and 1998. Agricola was also barred from practising medicine for 22 months and fined €2,000 (£1,390).

Giraudo, who was also on trial, was cleared of all charges. A third defendant, Giovanni Rossano, a pharmacist accused of supplying drugs on bogus prescriptions, agreed a plea bargain with the court and had a five-month custodial sentence reduced to a €5,000 fine.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-drug-scandal-that-blackens-the-name-of-juves-team-of-the-nineties-6156776.html

Juve Merda, sempre

[Raj]

Good to see the team and players being punished there

[Maldini]

I'd be amazed if HGH and steroids aren't being used to aid with injury recovery by some teams, there's very little chance of them getting caught as injured players don't get tested. As far as I'm aware there is no out of competition testing in football so players could start a steroid cycle at the end of the season and cycle off by the time the next season begins.

[Beardsley]

There were rumours about the mid-90s Juve team being on something, no?

 

But then you see the pattern here: success = performance enhancing drug usage?

Because no one would suspect LFC right now of taking any.

 

 

There was a documentary a few years back showing a legal hearing of the Juve players (and I'm sure, the staff).

I will never forget Del Piero's face when he was asked if he sufferd from depressions since he took anti-depressive medicine. He thought he just took vitamines, and you could really see that he was thinking "what the f*** have they been giving me".

 

Paired with an other interview with Rosenborg players (used to be pretty good), they all said that the Juve players never tired.

 

Can't remember if anybody was found guilty though.

[melia]

I know that quite a few people dismiss cycling because of the drug usage. I'm not sure I'd stop following the footy if there were significant revelations (probably because I suspect that most of them are juiced-up any way).

[Cobs]

thing is, if it were really widespread, there are so many players washing through so many different clubs, you'd have thought there'd be whistle-blowers a plenty

 

someone with a grudge against a manager, ex-team-mates, or just the odd bloke having a bit of integrity

[Maldini]

Wenger said a decade ago that some of the players he signed turned up showing signs of having been on EPO at former clubs. He put it down to clubs giving it to players without their knowledge. EPO is dangerous s*** though, it thickens the blood. Apparently in the heyday of its use in cycling it was easy to tell who was on it because they had to get up in the middle of the night and go for a cycle to prevent their blood from thickening too much.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2388078/Arsenal-players-used-EPO-says-Wenger.html

[cymrococh]

'It was like that when I got it', says Wenger.

[Swan Red]

If the drug use is of short term benefit to the player with no long term adverse effects I don't see an objection.

[Spike]

I posted in a similar thread a while ago but there was quite a strong link between Pep, who got banned for drugs, operation Puerto, and a german doctor who is now with him at Bayern.

 

Seeing how Bale transformed is pretty remarkable as well, although that's probably gym work + growing up.

[muleskinner]

Wenger said a decade ago that some of the players he signed turned up showing signs of having been on EPO at former clubs. He put it down to clubs giving it to players without their knowledge. EPO is dangerous s*** though, it thickens the blood. Apparently in the heyday of its use in cycling it was easy to tell who was on it because they had to get up in the middle of the night and go for a cycle to prevent their blood from thickening too much.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2388078/Arsenal-players-used-EPO-says-Wenger.html

that and young pro riders dropping dead.

[melia]

Given what Wenger said, I wonder how many players failed medicals due to the buying club realising they couldn't get the same performance as scouted unless they continued with the program?