Juve Doping Trial Gets Green Light
Wednesday 30th May 2001
Two Juventus officials are set to go on trial after a Turin public prosecutor was given the go-ahead to start proceedings into the doping scandal surrounding the club.
Turin prosecutor Raffaele Guariniello was told on Wednesday to fix a date to begin the trial against managing director Antonio Giraudo and the chief of medical staff Riccardo Agricola.
Proceedings have been halted for the last six months after the judge for the preliminary inquest, Fabrizio Pironti, sent the files to the Constitutional Court for confirmation over the rules and procedures for a case with such public interest.
But the red tape has now been cleared and Guariniello, who refused to comment on the issue, is now set to announce a start date for the trial.
The scandal began in 1998 when Zdenek Zeman claimed Juventus striker Alessandro Del Piero had used illegal substances to build his muscles. The Turin club, who deny the allegations, have been under investigation since.
Juventus midfielder Edgar Davids faces a two-year ban after failing a second drugs test earlier this month. The Holland international submitted a sample showing traces of nandrolone following a game against Udinese on March 4.
