Doping scandal: Barca and Real involved

Documents obtained by Le Monde suggest that Dr Eufemiano Fuentes has had dealings with some major players in the football world. Jeff Jones reports for Procycling.

Top football clubs Real Madrid and FC Barcelona used the services of Dr Eufemiano Fuentes, according to a report in French newspaper Le Monde. Fuentes is at the centre of Operacion Puerto, which up until now has widely been reported as another cycling doping scandal. However, Dr Fuentes has always maintained that he treated other top sportspeople, such as footballers, tennis players, athletes, handball players and boxers.

"I worked with Spanish first and second division clubs," he said in an interview to the French newspaper. "I worked with several clubs at the same time, sometimes directly with the footballers themselves, sometimes by sharing my knowledge with the teams doctors. I was the doctor of the Las Palmas team in 2002 during a year when it player in first division...I had an offer from an Italian club but I turned it down.

Death threats

Fuentes was asked directly which football clubs he had worked with. "I can't tell, I have received death threats," he said. "I was told that if I told certain things, my family and myself could have serious problems. I've been threatened three times and it's not going to happen a fourth time.

"There are sports against which you cannot go against, because they have access to very powerful legal means to defend themselves. And it could also cost the current chief of the sport his post."

More at http://www.procycling.com/news.aspx?ID=2561

This doping scandal went up on June before the Tour the France start and due to the enquiry several of the competitors have been excluded from the race. The doctor Fuentes used to have labs in few spanish cities where he's accused to have applied blood transfusion to the sportsmen. He said that his clients where not only cyclists but all kind of sportsman and seems that some football clubs used to apply team-doping. What do you think about this situation with two big clubs such Barca and Real probably involved?

EDIT: I forgot the question mark on title of the thread..

This should be interesting to see. I'm guessing investigations will start and maybe something like the Juve scandal might occur. Either way this is big.

That's pure sh.i.t

The frenchies seem to be jealous once again Real Madrid and Barcelona will report this to tribunals, judges or whatever is necessary for such a lie.

Trust me, this is true... I don't know if there are clubs involved but I'm pretty sure that single footie players are involved in it.

I dont believe it.

You say things like 'Le Monde'. How can you prove that?

Yeah, don't make statements like that with no proves.

I'm really sorry that happened in Italy, but there were proves there. And it's too curious that always the french are making up this kind of stories. The tried to blame Indurain when he won his 5th tour de france, and they got nothing. They were reported and had to pay an indemnization. They also tried to blame Armstrong without proves, and so a long list of famous sport people.

What is happened in Italy?

And Le Monde talk about spanish teams because the doctor Fuentes is a spanish and used to "work" in Spain, but I reckon that they mustn't say things without if they're not sure of it.

I said that I'm pretty sure that single players are involved because from the start of the whole enquiry, the doc Fuentes said that his "clients/patients" were not only cyclists but all kind of sportsmen and recently he negated to have had any sort of collaboration with clubs but he admitted to have had some footballers as his patients.

And if you want some other news on the Operacion Puerto you can do a research on google and probably you'll find something more in spanish than in english.

I know about Operacion Puerto. And if he says that his clients/patients weren't only cyclists it doesn't meant that the players of Real Madrid, Barça, Valencia or Betis have been their clients. A newspaper can't say it if can't prove it. I could say that Roma players take drugs but I don't say it because I don't know if it's true and because I don't think it.

Hey hey I'm not saying that players of spanish teams took drugs I've nothing against those teams and Spain itself, my remark was referred to players from whatever country, all the more Le Monde named an italian club involved... maybe that wasn't clear reading my posts, I'm sorry if you feel offended

My remark is: the doc said that he had footballers as his patients so why should he lie?

I remember watching on TV a documentary where Cannavaro took any kind of estimulants when he was in Juventus, and he admitted it.

Yes but that wasn't a scandal. That was an enquiry on Juventus FC and his doctor Agricola about the use of EPO and other substances. Juve used to dope his players in the period 1994 - 1997 roughly I think, but at the trial Juve has been acquitted because in that period wasn't a crime to use those substances (and in my opinion this is a scandal...)

Anyway I think that in that documentary Cannavaro was at Parma

Juve always does that kind of stuff and he always gets away.

No, in italy they didnt find any doping evidence, either beacause it wasnt a crime (the juventus case) or cause they just didnt find anything (the case of any other club i guess). But the evidence is the health of football players, there are plenty of cases where they got seriously ill after some unclear sunstances taken (i feel to remember a bologna player of the 70s died some time ago, but im not too sure about that)

Now i dont know whether Fuentes will be condamned or not, but i guess players should be more attentive on their own health.

And i dont think the fact there was a doping scandal in italy or spain means italy and spain are doping cheaters. It's the complete opposite, since rotten is everywhere, probably these inquiries will be the starting point for a clearer sport

The thing is that it hasn't been a dopping scandal in Spain

Yes they found and + Zidane addmited that the staff of juve forced the players to take forbiden substances.

Yes that's the point there's not a Spain doping scandal but an interrnational doping scandal. Operacion Puerto came up days before the Tour de France that is the most important cycling race of the World. And cyclists from different countries have been involved some of which has been now acquitted. In my opinion the same thing could happen to football players of different countries

Alright, I got your point, but then, if we're not talking about dopping in the spanish football, and more about cycling, shouldn't we carry this thread to the general forum or other sports forum?

Actually would be better, but the thread should be renamed in more general title