Zeman Responds to Lippi's Anger
Copyright � 1998 Nando.net
Copyright � 1998 Reuters
MILAN (Aug 13, 1998 - 11:36 EDT) - AS Roma coach Zdenek Zeman rounded on Marcello Lippi on Thursday, claiming that the Juventus boss had failed to understand his warning over drugs in the Serie A.
Zeman's warning has sparked controversy in Italy over the past week, after he expressed his amazement at the muscles on current and former Juventus stars Alessandro Del Piero and Gianluca Vialli.
Del Piero and Juventus have both sought permission from the national football federation to take legal action against Zeman for defamation, while team coach Lippi is livid with rage.
Zeman's fear that substances being taken could even put lives at risk is mere hypocrisy, according to Lippi. "Is it about saving lives or causing trouble for teams who win, while you've never won anything?" he asked.
"What should they do with someone like this -- a five year ban?"
However, the Czech fired a shot across Lippi's bows, saying: "Everyone can say what they want, and his views are opposed to mine.
"I've said what I think ... but I can't do anything about people who can't understand or who don't even want to. I don't want to respond to Lippi, I said what I did for the good of football.
"My fear is that there will be an escalation of the use of pharmaceutical substances without any thought for where all this will lead.
"There's no point having a race where everyone starts by taking 10 grammes of some substance, because that will only give an advantage to those who take 15 grammes and then 20 grammes for those with no scruples."
In the wake of his comments, Zeman was summoned to appear before state prosecutor Raffaele Guariniello in Juventus' home town of Turin on Wednesday.
"I was asked there as someone informed of certain facts, and I recounted the facts," said Zeman.
"I think he will go on from here. When a judge takes certain initiatives, he's not doing it for a game."
Del Piero is meanwhile due to be interviewed by Guariniello on Friday. Other Italian internationals are expected to be summoned by the magistrate, who specialises in public health issues.
The session in Turin followed a similar summons before the anti-doping commission of the national Olympic committee (CONI), which in Italy doubles as a sports ministry.
Rather than hauling Zeman over hot coals, as many expected, CONI officials emerged from the meeting grateful for Zeman's contribution.
Although the spotlight has focussed on the possible use of banned drugs in Italian football, a practice which players and coaches here believe to be either very minor or non-existent, another concern is for the short and long- term effects of certain restoratives on the market.
Creatine, a naturally occurring substance found in the muscle which stores and then releases energy, is available in concentrated form and like other restoratives such as mineral salts and aminoacids is not banned.
But pinpointing the substance, which is also absorbed by eating red meat, Zeman said: "20 grammes of creatine is like eating 10 kilos of meat. And I don't think that is very good for you."
Silvio Grattini, a pharmacologist, author and director of a top medical institute in Milan, was asked whether restoratives could only do good.
"This has yet to be proven," he said. "The problem with restoratives is that everything depends on the dosage. For example, excessive amounts of vitamin C can cause kidney damage and too much vitamin A can cause cancer."
