Three former Reds named by hackers in steroid-use leaked papers

THREE former United players have been named by hackers as being cleared to use a steroid while playing for Argentina during the 2010 World Cup.

Carlos Tevez, Juan Sebastian Veron and Gabriel Heinze are among 25 players who were given permissions during the competition, according to leaked documents published by Russian hackers Fancy Bears yesterday.

Tevez was a City player – having signed from rivals United the previous year – when he is said to have been given a permission to use betamethasone during the tournament in South Africa.

Betamethasone is a corticosteroid with a variety of uses. It does not feature directly on the World AntiDoping Agency’s prohibited list, but is banned depending on the concentration detected.

Veron and Heinze are said to have been allowed to use the same drug. They had moved from Old Trafford and were playing for other teams in 2010.

There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by those named in the leaks.

All the 25 were given a TUE (Theraputic Use Exemption) or a DOU (Declaration of Use), according to one of three leaked documents.

Fancy Bears have previously published details of TUEs – essentially a doctor’s note permitting the use of an otherwise-banned substance to treat a medical condition – in Olympic sports. Yesterday’s publication of hacked data was the Fancy Bears’ first disclosure in football.

Reacting to the leaks, the FA said: “The Football Association is disappointed that strictly confidential information has been released into the public domain.”