Doping in football

Fuentes to reveal role in major sports

Xabi Alonso and the World Cup 2006?

von Daniel Drepper

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The Spanish doping doctor Eufemiano Fuentes apparently wants to make some cash. Possible side effect: Messy details of numerous doped athletes could get public. Including: football.

The Guardian reported last night online that Fuentes offers his knowledge of doping in sports for sale. Fuentes’ lawyers say several media offered him money for information, now the Spanish doctor seems to turns the tables. The Guardian writes that Fuentes’ lawyers had sent a list of topics to different media.

Thhe mentioned list contains topics about which Fuentes could speak publicly, but only against payment. One of the issues on the list: “How I prepared a team to play in the Champions League”. A few weeks ago some media already speculated that Fuentes will probably write a book.

Fuentes was connected several times to Spanish football teams. Recently, there had been numerous indications that Fuentes could have supplied the team of Real Sociedad San Sebastian for years. San Sebastian allegedly spent more than 300,000 Euro per year for doping – from 2001 until 2008. In 2003 the club was a surprising runner-up in the Spanis Primera Division. That would fit to Fuentes’ offered topic – prepare a team for the Champions League.

Xabi Alonso and the World Cup 2006?
In the period in question Xabi Alonso growed in San Sebastian to be a world star. Today Alonso is one of the key players both for the Spanish national team, as well as for Real Madrid. It is not proven that Alonso has or was doped during his time at San Sebastian.

The former German professional cyclists Jan Ullrich and Jörg Jaksche also have been customers of Fuentes. In interviews Jaksche wondered recently that Fuentes was apparently active in Germany in the summer of 2006. “I think the truth is that the German police knew something about connections to the World Cup 2006, but had not all the information” the British Telegraph quoted Jaksche, who back then was questioned by the German police.