Juventus Pair Determined To Clear Names Over Doping
ROME (Reuters) - Juventus director Antonio Giraudo and club doctor Antonio Agricola are determined to clear their names when a doping inquiry starts in Turin on Thursday.
Turin magistrate Raffaele Guariniello is chairing the hearing when the Juventus representatives will try to clear themselves of "sporting fraud" following a three-year inquiry.
The charges against Juventus include the alleged "irregular use of medicines which are either banned by the International Olympic Committee or subject to particular restrictions". The pair are considered responsible by the prosecution for Juve's policy.
The pair had been interviewed as part of Turin public magistrate Guariniello's investigation into doping in the game.
"At last we will have a chance to defend ourselves," said Luigi Chiappero, the lawyer representing Juventus, quoted in Wednesday's Gazzetta Dello Sport.
"One point is closed however -- that players have never taken prohibited drugs for the simple reason that none of the prohibited drugs have ever been administered to them.
"I don't think it will be a short hearing because we must assist a long battle of skills, both at scientific and legal levels."
Guariniello is reported to be planning to call on the testimonies of 150 top footballers in a bid to solve the uncertainties surrounding doping in the Italian game.
GUARINIELLO'S LIST
Chiappero recently claimed that his defence was likely to focus on the fact that Guariniello's investigation has named products that are in regular commercial use and, he said, were available in high-street pharmacies.
Guariniello began his probe in August 1998 after claims made by former AS Roma coach Zdenek Zeman that drug use was rife within Italian soccer.
The magistrate has interviewed a number of players and officials at Juventus. Argentine Diego Maradona testified in front of Guariniello in November 1998 and the magistrate later extended his inquiry to look at the deaths of over 40 players he suspected may have died as a result of doping.
In early 1999 Guariniello interviewed a host of top Serie A players including Rui Costa, Alessandro Nesta, Lilian Thuram and Roberto Baggio.
In June of that year he handed in a 'black list' to Italian Olympic Committee president Gianni Petruzzi which was said to include the names of 60 to 200 players from Serie A, B and C.
Italian football has been rocked by a series of doping cases this season with Lazio defender Jaap Stam and Brescia midfielder Josep Guardiola the latest to be punished following positive tests for the banned steroid nandrolone.
