SUMMARY
- Previously, Paul Pogba was banned from the club for breaching anti-doping rules.
- Recently, Gary Neville has accused the Italian clubs of doping.
Doping is one of the most widely debated topics in soccer. The soccer world is both shocked and worried by the prevalence of doping in the sport. The soccer authorities have long been discussing measures to limit this wrongdoing but to no avail. Reportedly, soccer players continue taking illegal supplements to enhance their performances on the pitch.
France and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been banned from football for four years for a doping offence, sources have confirmed to ESPN. pic.twitter.com/PELXxqgZYZ
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 29, 2024
The debate on doping has gained new traction in 2024. Former English players Gary Neville and Michael Owen have presented their thoughts on the matter. However, the former Liverpool player looked pretty animated while criticizing a journalist’s comments on doping in soccer.
Michael Owen believes doping control in soccer has always been strict
The 44-year-old was asked about Gary Neville’s comments on doping before going on with his rant. Michael was disgusted by a journalist’s view who believed that anti-doping measures in soccer weren’t strict enough. The journalist also reportedly believed that this is the reason that many guilty soccer players go unpunished. According to the former Liverpool player, the baffling comments reignited his hatred for radios.
He apparently heard some people on the radio debating over Gary Neville’s comments on doping in Italy. Michael Owen was picking up his daughter from athletics and listened attentively to the discussion.
🗣| MICHEAL OWEN: “I honestly almost smashed my radio” – Michael Owen launches bizarre rant following Gary Neville’s Man Utd doping claim.
The former Premier League striker has refuted the idea that doping is widespread across the game after Neville’s recent comments on the… pic.twitter.com/HqKKQ2SLXm
— Man United Fan Club (@manufcnow) March 7, 2024
However, he was very dissatisfied with what he had heard. The 44-year-old said (via utdDistrict), “I think a journalist was saying that the only reason that more footballers have not been caught is because the testing is rubbish; this is probably why I don’t listen to the radio. I honestly almost smashed my radio and phoned up the channel.”
Michael Owen explained how even during the early days, authorities would turn up to training sessions out of nowhere for testing players. The players were dehydrated and made to wait for three hours before being treated for doping after games. Hence, the journalist’s allegation that soccer has allowed doping to grow does not hold ground.
Gary Neville had accused Italian teams of doping
As mentioned earlier, Michael Owen had overheard the journalists talking about the Manchester United legend’s allegations about Italian teams. Gary Neville and his teammates always felt that something wasn’t right with some players from Italian clubs. According to the 49-year-old, these players passed extreme physical abilities that weren’t even humanly possible. Gary Neville also revealed that, at the time, many clubs across Europe resonated with his belief.
The soccer pundit said on a podcast, “I think there were a few teams we played against who weren’t clean. We thought it at the time.” The Manchester United players were reportedly shocked by their physical abilities, as ‘The Red Devils’ themselves were some of the fittest players on earth.
Gary Neville and Roy Keane heavily suggesting top Italian teams were doping in the “mid 2000s” 💉 pic.twitter.com/ajs5gylX18
— Swift Kicks ⚽️ (@realSwiftKicks) February 8, 2024
Gary Neville added, “Physically, we were fit, we weren’t drinkers [but] that’s not right, there is something not right. I came off the pitch, and I thought, that’s not right, that’s not right. I’m sorry.”
Italian soccer has been long haunted by doping scandals. A doctor from Juventus was found guilty in 2004 of supplying his players with banned substances. More recently, in 2024, Paul Pogba from Juventus was handed a 4-year ban for breaching anti-doping rules. With the revelations of new doping scandals in Italy, Gary Neville’s theory is gaining more and more relevance.