If there is one thing that can permanently stain a sports player’s reputation, it is being found guilty of drug and substance abuse. Over the decades, many great football players including Diego Maradona ruined their image by such incidents.
As stated in the recent article published by Der Spiegel, Real Madrid’s captain Sergio Ramos was accused of violating UEFA’s anti-doping rules, avoiding checks and even failing a test after the 2017 Champions League final. According to the article, the test found dexamethasone in Spaniard’s blood after the final match against Juventus. The mentioned substance is prohibited by the WADA unless the club doctor reports administering it to a player.
The report by Spiegel was since refuted by Real Madrid representatives who claimed the report to be insubstantial, while UEFA told ESPN that the case in question was an administrative error. Even though Ramos is known to be somewhat naughty on the pitch, it’s hard to believe he would do anything to jeopardize his colorful career with 4 Champion League trophies for Real Madrid, and 3 wins in international championships for Spain.
Ramos Strongly Disagrees with Allegations
As one would expect, Sergio Ramos has already spoken out on the incident. and gave his detailed position on the situation during an interview following Madrid’s clash with Eibar Ramos. According to Los Blancos captain, the report is completely false and the journalists who published it threatened to release the story six weeks before actually airing it out.
Ramos addressed both the claim regarding the doping test after the Champions League finals in 2017 as well as the other report that was included in the article, which claimed Ramos requested to take a shower before undertaking a doping test after a La Liga match against Malaga.
In regards to both these claims, Ramos stated that he is completely innocent and would be taking legal action against those who published the article with the help of his legal team. “I have been through 250 or 300 doping tests over my career, and never failed one, there has never been any irregularity. Those who must speak and put the papers on the table say there was no irregularity on my part, so I am very relaxed about it.”, said Sergio Ramos during the press conference.
Real Madrid Coach Defends His “Honest” Ward
All of Real Madrid staff, including coach Solari, have stood behind Ramos claiming that the player has nothing to hide. The club’s official response to the allegations stated that Sergio Ramos has not broken any anti-doping rules. The issue following the Champions League finals was already closed by WADA and UEFA, while the rest of the report lacks evidence and is completely false.
It seems that everyone in the football world is behind Ramos this time. Despite his unethical moves occasionally happening on the pitch, the player’s reputation should remain mostly intact. Nevertheless, allegations like these are something that everyone wants to avoid, so that’s why Solari and others at the club will surely defend their captain further if necessary.
Expert Opinion: Is Ramos Really Innocent?
Sergio Ramos is one of those players who has never been involved in incidents related to drugs, nightlife or anything similar. His reputation is beyond question and it would appear that the report in question here is just another media stunt aimed at gaining viewership.
While we believe that Ramos is not guilty in this particular scenario, it is no secret that drugs and performance enhancing compounds are sometimes used illegally by football players. There were many reports of such incidents over the years, such as the admission by Ajax’s Johnny Rep that it was common back in the 70s to use amphetamines before matches.
With the enormous amounts of money players earn, it is not uncommon to see some of them making mistakes and getting involved in other harmful and prohibited activities. Just think back to Mario Balotelli’s club-related shenanigans or Paul Merson’s alcohol and gambling problems and you will quickly realize how easy it is for football players to slip up. Casinos and gambling, in particular, can be very problematic for football players who earn a lot of money.
Aside from paying visits to brick-and-mortar casinos, football players get used to online gambling, too. For example, former Chelsea forward Eidur Gudjohnsen lost over $6M during his long recovery period after the serious injury.
That’s a typical case, as it’s quite hard to resist following the ad link leading to an online casino when you’re bored as hell. Moreover, there are lots of websites with detailed casino and bonus reviews, so the potential gambler may choose the suitable casino to play in a matter of minutes. If you read this, don’t click on casino advertisements when you’re on your sick leave! Otherwise, you risk the same fate as Eidur Gudjohnsen.
An Incident Best Left Behind?
While the allegations against the Real Madrid captain may be somewhat harmful to his reputation, the best thing to do is probably just let them go. Since no official claim was made by any credible organization, the report can be considered merely a speculation.
While Sergio Ramos seemed pretty upset at first, the situation has eventually calmed down. It appears that the incident will not be blown out of proportion unnecessarily anymore. In the end, we can only hope that the media like Der Spiegel will do a better job of reporting more accurately in the future, so we will only get the real truth about such potential incidents from now on.
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