Manchester United legend Gary Neville suspects that the Italian clubs he played against in the 2000s used doping.
Neville, who played for Manchester United under former manager Alex Ferguson, faced Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, Fiorentina, AS Roma, and Lazio. Based on his observations, he suggested that some of these clubs allowed their players to use doping. Neville's view was supported by his former teammate Roy Keane.
Neville (right) and Keane during their time at Man Utd. Photo: AFP
Speaking on the Stick To Football program, comparing football to sports plagued by doping issues like cycling, Neville said: "I still remember some things vividly. I think there were some teams we played against that weren't clean. At the time, we thought so. Ryan Giggs and I talked about this in the mid-2000s or 1990s."
Neville believes that doping was a sensitive topic during his playing career. Therefore, even though he suspected his opponent, he couldn't fully grasp the issue. It wasn't until later, when doping scandals broke out in many sports, that the issue of banned substances in sports was discussed and tightened.
"When I went out onto the pitch against some Italian clubs, I thought: 'Something's not right.' I apologize for having such doubts. But I know some other players in the 2000s thought the same thing," Neville said.
Agreeing with Neville's assessment, former midfielder Roy Keane said: "When facing some teams, I just want to walk away, and you look completely broken. I remember looking at the players I was up against, they played for a few Italian teams, and thinking they weren't playing a football game. But we're not going to single out a few clubs or a few names."
Commenting on this topic, Daily Mail writer Riath Al-Samarrai stated that football, like other sports, involves cheating. However, he argued that positive doping tests in football are not as stigmatized or punished as in other sports.
To illustrate this point, Al-Samarrai cites the case of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. The former Spanish midfielder tested positive for banned substances twice in 2001 while playing in Italy for Brescia. Guardiola was banned for four months. However, he maintained his innocence, appealed the decision, and was acquitted in 2009. Since then, the incident has faded into oblivion, and Guardiola is remembered primarily as one of the greatest managers of all time.
Duy Doan (according to Daily Mail )
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