Post by Salem6 on Jan 13, 2004 9:53:20 GMT
AFP[ MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2004 06:10:12 PM ]
TURIN : Real Madrid star Zinedine Zidane failed to show up in court here on Monday where he had been called to testify at the Juventus doping trial.
Two Juve officials are on trial over charges relating to the doping of players from the club over a four-year period in the 1990s.
Real Madrid sent a letter to Judge Guiseppe Casalbore explaining the former Juventus midfielder's absence, saying the player had "professional obligations".
The Spanish club are preparing for an important cup match this week.
However, the club said Zidane would be available to give evidence via a telephone conference call or by video conference from Spain.
The prosecution alleges that Juventus managing director Antonio Giraudo and club doctor Riccardo Agricola supplied pharmaceutical products to several of the club's players between July 1994 and September 1998.
It is charged that, while the drugs in question were legal, they had been used in such a manner that essentially produced the same effects as illicit substances.
Over that period, Juventus won three Italian league titles and the European Cup.
The scandal broke in 1998 when Czech coach Zdenek Zeman, then in charge of Roma, called on the authorities to clean drug cheats out of Italian soccer, aiming his accusations at Juventus.
Former Juventus striker Gianluca Vialli has already admitted Agricola regularly administered substances for which there was no justification.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/418616.cms
TURIN : Real Madrid star Zinedine Zidane failed to show up in court here on Monday where he had been called to testify at the Juventus doping trial.
Two Juve officials are on trial over charges relating to the doping of players from the club over a four-year period in the 1990s.
Real Madrid sent a letter to Judge Guiseppe Casalbore explaining the former Juventus midfielder's absence, saying the player had "professional obligations".
The Spanish club are preparing for an important cup match this week.
However, the club said Zidane would be available to give evidence via a telephone conference call or by video conference from Spain.
The prosecution alleges that Juventus managing director Antonio Giraudo and club doctor Riccardo Agricola supplied pharmaceutical products to several of the club's players between July 1994 and September 1998.
It is charged that, while the drugs in question were legal, they had been used in such a manner that essentially produced the same effects as illicit substances.
Over that period, Juventus won three Italian league titles and the European Cup.
The scandal broke in 1998 when Czech coach Zdenek Zeman, then in charge of Roma, called on the authorities to clean drug cheats out of Italian soccer, aiming his accusations at Juventus.
Former Juventus striker Gianluca Vialli has already admitted Agricola regularly administered substances for which there was no justification.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/418616.cms