Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro is at the centre of the latest drugs row to hit Italian football.
Italian state broadcasters RAI last night showed a video, taken by Cannavaro himself, in which the Juventus stopper is seen using a drip the day before the 1999 UEFA Cup Final.
Cannavaro is viewed in a Moscow hotel room with numerous of his then Parma teammates, on the eve of their 3-0 win over Marseille, taking Neoton via a drip.
The drug is normally used in cardiac surgery but is not a banned substance as Cannavaro’s lawyer, who was present in the debate show studio, was quick to point out.
"Neoton helps to regenerate muscle and it is not on the banned list," Paolo Trofino said, after Cannavaro had declined to be a part of the programme.
"We were concerned about the damage it might do to his image," continued Trofino.
"If you go into a player's room the night before a big match and you see him with a drip, obviously that's going to be a shocking image. People might jump to conclusions."
The player had warned RAI on Thursday afternoon that he would assess his legal options if he was accused of anything illegal.
Although Neoton is a legal substance, RAI’s decision to make public the home video will do little for the player’s image.
Something that club colleague Lilian Thuram, both now and then at Parma, is well aware of.
"It creates an image of players that dope themselves up before each match," said the stopper.
"We often play around with video cameras in the dressing rooms, but certain things are seen differently from the outside.
"Unfortunately we live in a world where people try to dirty and destroy even the little that remains clean.
"A player who has given so much to football and to the Italian national team deserves respect."
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THURAM IS SO RIGHT