++ [ originally posted by Arif
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Zola slams doping cheats
Wednesday 1 December, 2004
Gianfranco Zola has given his views on the Juventus doping verdict and dubbed the players involved as “cheats.”
“It is disappointing to have competed against players who used illegal substances,” he told the ‘Gazzetta dello Sport’. “It was an incredible act of cheating and cowardice.”
Zola’s trophy cabinet is rather bare after his Parma side lost out to Juventus in the race for the Scudetto, Coppa Italia and Italian Supercup during the years incriminated by the trial.
Last week the Turin magistrates found Juve chief medic Dr Riccardo Agricola guilty of administering substances, including EPO, in a systematic manner.
“I was really hit hard by that verdict,” added Zola, “because I worked so hard for years to be at the top of my physical fitness. I and my teammates made many sacrifices to be better, so to compete against those who were just taking drugs is disappointing. It was an incredibly underhand way of playing football.”
There is some confusion over whether or not Juventus could now be stripped of the trophies they won during the 1990’s. Initial examination of the legal documents suggested they were safe because [
B]too much time had passed to re-open the files[/B] , but a new statement has come through.
“If I was the head of the anti-doping commission then I would immediately re-open the Juventus file,” stated the former leader of this division Giacomo Aiello.
“Everyone is waiting for the magistrate to reveal the reasoning behind his decision. Then and only then can a disciplinary action begin, but we could potentially look at suing Juve for indirect responsibility.”
The club itself was cleared of all wrongdoing, as director Antonio Giraudo was released without charge from the trial.
Meanwhile, Zola concluded by looking at the fine work performed by his Cagliari outfit after leaping into fourth place.
“We are doing exceptional things with this club and are deservedly in the top teams at the moment. We are giving our all and can do even better in the future, even if we have to keep our feet on the ground.”
They have the opportunity to consolidate their position when Chievo come to the Stadio Sant’Elia this coming weekend.
“I ask for the fans to all come to the Stadium and cheer on Cagliari in a difficult game,” concluded the ex-Chelsea star.
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Zola too.
I had a great respect for him, but after what he said, I lost all the respect for him.
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