Zidane, Deschamps Questioned in Serie A Doping Probe
Copyright � 1998 Nando.net
Copyright � 1998 Reuters
TURIN, Italy (Sep 14, 1998 - 13:07 EDT) - An Italian prosecutor investigating allegations of doping in Italy's Serie A questioned France's World Cup captain Didier Deschamps and midfielder Zinedine Zidane on Monday.
Deschamps gave few details to reporters of his meeting with Turin prosecutor Raffaello Guariniello.
Asked what subjects the prosecutor covered, Deschamps would only say: "Creatine, but other things also."
The probe has focused on Italian side Juventus after allegations they relied heavily on muscle-building drugs.
It has also covered the alleged abuse of the amino acid creatine, which occurs naturally in the body and aids muscle contraction.
Creatine is not a banned substance and some clubs, including Juventus, use it to help players recover from injury. Other clubs refuse to use it and some coaches say it should be banned.
Deschamps, who signed a new contract with Juventus in April, had already been questioned by Guariniello in mid-August.
"I speak French and maybe the last time we misunderstood each other," the French midfielder joked after Monday's meeting.
Zidane, hero of France's World Cup victory, saw Guariniello separately but left the meeting without making any comment.
The probe was sparked by AS Roma coach Zdenek Zeman's assertion at the end of July that drug-taking was on the rise in Serie A and that it was becoming "more and more difficult (for players) to resist the temptation of magic pills."
Zeman named Juventus and Italy striker Alessandro Del Piero and former Juventus captain Gianluca Vialli in connection with suspicions. He did not accuse them directly.
