Ramos denies doping claim
sErGiO rAMOs has been accused of failing a drugs test after the 2017 Champions league final amid reports designed to cause serious embarrassment to uEFA.
the latest Football leaks revelations make explosive claims about the real Madrid and spain captain, alleging he escaped sanction despite testing positive for a drug that has seen at least one other athlete receive a two-year ban.
the club said ramos had ‘never breached’ doping rules. the computer hackers claim to have unearthed evidence that suggests ramos tested positive for dexamethasone, which is only prohibited if uEFA are not informed of it prior to the doping test.
A report in German publication Der Spiegel claims: ‘the dexamethasone case has never
before been made public and the file remains locked away at UEFA. ‘No disciplinary action was taken, neither against the player nor against the team doctor from Real Madrid, despite all of the anomalies in the case. ‘Indeed, the way in which UEFA swept the case under the rug shines a rather unflattering light on the anti-doping fight in top-level European football.’
Der Spiegel claim UEFA accepted an ‘apology’ for the failed test, which came in the form of a written note from Ramos, with the defender claiming the club doctor had failed to declare his use of a corticosteroid that acts as an anti-inflammatory on his drugs test declaration form. The doctor had noted Ramos (below) received an injection the day before the final and claimed he committed a ‘human error’ by accidentally writing the wrong substance down on the form. The presence of the then King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, who had come to congratulate Ramos in the doping area, was said to be a distraction. Real beat Juventus 4-1 in the final in Cardiff, in which Ramos played 90 minutes. In a separate case after a game against Malaga in April this year, Der Spiegel report Ramos obstructed an anti-doping officer by showering before his drugs test, despite being warned that it was against the rules. Last night a statement from Real Madrid said: ‘The club wishes to express the following: ‘1. Sergio Ramos has never breached anti-doping regulations. 2. UEFA requested specific information and immediately closed the case referred to, as is customary in such instances, following tests carried out by experts from the World AntiDoping Association (WADA) and UEFA itself. 3. In terms of the rest of the content published by the aforementioned publication, the club will not be making any comment, given the clearly insubstantial nature of the reports.’ UEFA issued a denial, saying in a statement it ‘strongly and categorically refutes unfounded allegations it has covered up positive doping results. ‘All UEFA doping control cases are conducted in full compliance with the World Anti-Doping Agency code. UEFA has informed both WADA and FIFA of all such cases as required by the WADA code and UEFA has provided all detailed information, expert reports and evidence during the handling of such cases. ‘It must be underlined that both WADA and FIFA have the right to appeal any decision taken by UEFA on doping control matters to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). However, neither WADA nor FIFA did lodge any such appeal to CAS and WADA itself has officially confirmed that everything was dealt with appropriately by UEFA and in accordance with the code.’ Earlier this year, the American heavyweight Eric Molina was suspended from boxing for two years when he tested positive for dexamethasone after losing to Anthony Joshua in December 2016.