© EuroFootball.com
Italian national team and Turin club defender found himself at the center of a doping scandal - on Thursday, the Italian national broadcaster RAI showed a controversial video in which the player injects himself with a neotonic preparation.
These frames were filmed six years ago - then the football player, representing the club, was shown with his teammates at a Moscow hotel on May 11, 1999, on the eve of the UEFA Cup final, which the Italian team later won 3-0 against the "Marseille" team.
"Look what we have to do before the UEFA Cup final. I'm 25, and they are killing me," joked the good-humored F.Cannavaro at the time.
F.Cannavaro injected himself with neoton, creatine phosphate used in heart surgery. Neoton, used to protect the heart, is not included in the list of prohibited substances, but it is believed that it could be harmful if used too frequently.
Hours before the RAI program "Punto e a capo" aired, Cannavaro requested that the video material not be shown and warned that if he was accused of anything, he would sue the television station.
The player himself did not attend the show, but his lawyer, Paolo Trofino, participated and defended his client: "Neoton helps rebuild muscles, but it is not on the list of banned substances. We are concerned that all of this could damage his image. If you enter a player's room on the eve of an important match and see him with a syringe, it is undoubtedly a shocking sight. People may start drawing various conclusions."
His current teammate at "Juventus" and former teammate at "Parma," the French defender Lilian Thuram, defended him: "An image is being created that players use doping before matches. We often play in dressing rooms with cameras, but certain things look different from the side. Unfortunately, we live in a world where people try to stain everything that is still clean. A player who has given so much to the Italian national team deserves respect."
Although neoton is not banned, Cannavaro's image should not improve especially due to associations with the "Juventus" doping scandal. Last November, Turin club doctor Riccardo Agricola was found guilty of administering unauthorized substances to players from 1994-1998.
This investigation was inspired by current "Lecce" coach Zdenek Zeman, who accused "Juventus" players of using drugs that accelerate muscle growth while coaching the "Roma" team at the time.
Despite R. Agricola serving 22 months of probation, club president Antonio Giraudo was acquitted, and the club was not stripped of three Italian champion titles and one UEFA Cup that "Juve" won during that four-year period.
