Juve Under The Spotlight As Mother Of All Doping Trials Opens
TURIN, Jan 31 (AFP) - Juventus president Vittorio Caissoti di Chiusano launched the team's counter offensive against drug taking allegations as a trial into doping against the Italian first division side opened here on Thursday.
The trial, being dubbed the "mother of all battles against doping," could see big name stars including Zinedine Zidane, Didier Deschamps, Christian Vieri and Ronaldo being called upon to give evidence.
Juventus managing director Antonio Giraudo and club doctor Riccardo Agricola have been charged in relation to alleged doping offences committed between July 1994 and September 1998, covering four Serie A championships. Over that period Juve won three Italian titles and one European Cup.
The charges are the result of the judicial inquiry carried out by Turin magistrate Raffaele Guariniello which was opened after Czech coach Zdenek Zeman, then in charge of Italian first division side AS Roma, claimed that doping was rife in Serie A and made specific reference to Juventus players.
The two Juventus officials have been charged under Italy's sporting fraud laws by allegedly using illicit drugs "to manipulate a different result from that which would follow from a correct and sporting sport competition organised by the FIGC (Italian Football Federation)".
Chiusano, however, denied any wrongdoing claiming the team only used products which were widely taken by Italian footballers.
"No Juventus players have ever taken drugs," Chiusano told Corriere della Sera, welcoming the trial as giving the club "the power to defend" themselves.
"The allegations aren't in fact about doping but the distribution of authorised products that could have had the effects of doping.
"We have, among other things, used creatine which can have beneficial effects, that we have never denied," said Chiusano. "Everyone in Italy takes creatine."
And the Juventus president hit back at recent comments by French star Zidane that he used creatine when with the Italian club.
"He could have avoided his comments which are just another way of being controversial," added Chiusano
