Juventus Manager Says Zeman Must Pay for Remarks
Copyright � 1998 Nando.net
Copyright � 1998 Reuters
ROME (Aug 21, 1998 - 12:18 EDT) - AS Roma coach Zdenek Zeman must be made to pay for his drugs allegations about Juventus, according to the boss of the Italian champions, Marcello Lippi.
Zeman has sparked controversy, and galvanised an anti-drugs enquiry already underway at the national Olympic commitee (CONI), by warning that Italian soccer could end up like the recent Tour de France.
He has also enraged Juventus by pointing the finger at Alessandro Del Piero and former idol Gianluca Vialli, saying he is amazed at their muscles.
Lippi, Del Piero and three other players testified before the CONI enquiry on Thursday, and the experience did nothing to improve the team's temper.
Lippi said: "I was completely relaxed about coming here to make my contribution to the enquiry, which I consider to be a laudable initiative.
"Who wouldn't be willing to help on such an issue?
But he went on: "The real question is a different one; that named individuals have been called into question.
"And when it has been demonstrated that there is no truth in any of this, the person responsible must be punished."
Del Piero, 23, said he had put on five kilos in five years, two of which over the last two years, as the result of hard work and the natural development of the body.
But the striker finally snapped when asked by a reporter if he had used drugs and walked out of his news conference.
Ugo Longo, the man in charge of the CONI enquiry, said that during his testimony: "Lippi insisted that everything was above board and in the open.
"Juventus use restoratives... and Del Piero has only taken products prescribed by the team doctor and denied taking anything else.
"His physical development is in line with a physiological strengthening of the body."
Lippi, like Vialli, has called for the Italian football federation (FIGC) to ban Zeman for his comments, while Del Piero and Juventus' lawyers are asking the FIGC for permission to sue the Czech coach for defamation.
