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'Black List' handed over Prosecutor turns in list of players tied to substance abuse
Posted: Tuesday June 15, 1999 10:51 AM
TURIN, Italy (AP) -- A list of soccer players who allegedly used banned substances but escaped proper controls has been turned over by a prosecutor to Italy's sports boss. Turin prosecutor Raffaele Guariniello, whose inquiry into doping in Italian soccer dates back to August, gave the names to Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) president Gianni Petrucci during a 90-minute meeting Monday. The list -- dubbed the "Black List" by the Italian media -- reportedly contains dozens of names of players who were in one of the country's top three soccer divisions over the past three or four years. The players are thought to have used substances, such as local anesthetics, that act as stimulants or anabolic agents. These can be used only if a player's club doctor informs the league or federation. In examining records seized in December, Guariniello discovered that many players randomly selected for doping tests would claim at the time of the test that they were taking the substances for therapeutic reasons, even though such use had not been properly registered. The players' claims would lead the doping lab officials to discard positive test results. Guariniello also saw that follow-up checks were not being carried out to ensure that the therapeutic use of the substances was valid -- and no players were punished. Guariniello's investigation has already prompted the temporary closing of CONI's drug-testing lab and the resignation of Petrucci's predecessor, Mario Pescante.
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