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| November 18, 2001 | Sunday | Ramazan 2, 1422 |
Dutch star denies drug charges
LONDON, Nov 17: Lazio defender Jaap Stam has vehemently denied taking performance-enhancing drugs following his positive test for the banned steroid nandrolone.
“I simply cannot believe this has happened to me and I feel sick at the suggestion I would take drugs,” the Dutch international said in his diary on the website icons.com.
“I do not know why the test should come out positive and I am in a state of shock and confusion.” The 29-year-old former Manchester United defender was suspended on Friday after the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) said he had failed a test which took place after the Serie A match between Lazio and Atalanta on October 13.
A disciplinary hearing, at which Stam is not expected to be present, has been scheduled for 1330 GMT on Saturday.
In his diary Stam added: “One thing I can say without hesitation or doubt, however, is that I have never knowingly taken nandrolone or any other illegal substance.
“I am not and have never been a cheat and would never do anything like this to jeopardise the happiness of my family or the future of my career.
“It is ridiculous to suggest I would, whatever the test says.
Stam, who joined Lazio from Manchester United in a surprise 15.2-million-pound move in August, said he was worried about the consequences of his test in view of the bans given to two of his Dutch team mates for similar offences.—Reuters
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