World Cup 2010 Blog: French Team Doctor Puts ‘98 Squad On Doping Book Tour

---

French Team Doctor Puts ‘98 Squad On Doping Book Tour Posted: 25 Aug 2010 08:58 AM PDT Footballer autobiographies can be found housed under the Dewey decimal system in the eight circle of hell. Where does that put autobiographies by the team doctors of famous teams? Hitchhiking to the ninth, I suppose. The team doctor from France’s ‘98 World Cup win has made some fairly damning statements regarding the blood samples of France’s World Cup-winning side from 1998. Conveniently, he has a book coming out. Normally this would seem an absurd money grab with a book on the fore, but Paclet took out the magic word when it comes to questionable sporting practices: Juventus. Juve were put to trial for doping after numerous accusations in the mid-nineties and a couple of directors were found guilty of administering EPO before finding success in appeals court. Acquitted, but the stigma lingers. Paclet notes that there were anomalies in certain samples and that this was suspicious, given that some French players had played with certain football leagues, "notably those in the Italian league". "Blood tests revealed amomalies for several Bleus just before the 1998 World Cup," he told Le Parisien. In reference to midfield stars Zinedine Zidane and Didier Deschamps who both played at Juventus, the doctor said, "it's public knowledge that there were practices which were borderline, to say the least, at Juventus at that time". "I'm not making anything up. Having a high hematocrit level [a measure of red blood cells] did not prove that they took EPO [Erythropoietin – a hormone often used for performance enhancement in sports]. "As there was no proof we didn't bother them," says Paclet, the French team doctor from 2004 to 2008. "Nevertheless it can't be said that if we had pursued the tests we would have found proof." However Jean-Marcel Ferret, the French team doctor at the time of the World Cup win says they "found nothing". He admits there were anomalies regarding the level of red blood cells, "but they were linked to tiredness from the league", adding that his "conscience is clear". Paclet’s suspect timing doesn’t really eliminate the suspect nature of their blood tests when coupled with the original source, though he does seem to imply it was “clubs”, not just Juventus. However, the fact that The Implosion explodes onto bookstore shelves tomorrow certainly doesn’t seem to make the accusations any less self-serving. One of these days someone is going to make an outlandish, head-turning statement without a book release coming by the end of the month, in turn throwing a cloud on their plausible accusations. But don’t hold your breath.

You are subscribed to email updates from World Cup Soccer - South Africa 2010 To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

World Cup 2010 Blog: Why Russia Should Not Host World Cup 2018

---

Why Russia Should Not Host World Cup 2018 Posted: 23 Aug 2010 11:30 AM PDT England and Russia are two of the front-runners to host World Cup 2018, and FIFA are in England this week assessing the English bid. I’m an England fan and therefore biased, but I’m now 100% sure Russia should not be hosting the World Cup eight years from now. I have no idea how long the above banner – in which racist Lokomotiv Moscow fans thank West Brom for buying their Nigerian-Russian striker Peter Odemwingie – was tolerated for, but the fact that is was unfurled at all suggests that the Russian football authorities still have some work to do before hosting the rest of the world. You might be pleased to hear that an Odemwingie-less Lokomotiv lost 3-0 to Dynamo Moscow this weekend, while West Brom beat Sunderland 1-0 with Odemwingie scoring on his debut. Which suggests that Lokomotov fans are confused in more ways than one, because it’s West Brom fans who should be thanking them.

You are subscribed to email updates from World Cup Soccer - South Africa 2010 To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

World Cup 2010 Blog: Paul the Octopus Joins England World Cup Bid

---

Paul the Octopus Joins England World Cup Bid Posted: 20 Aug 2010 07:18 AM PDT When I heard that Paul the Octopus was recording an album titled Paul the Octopus Sings Elvis, I cried a little for the state of the world. But I also took comfort in the fact that this whole octopus thing had reached a firm upper limit of bizarreness. Because things don’t get any weirder or stupider than a cephalopod mollusc who a) lives underwater and b) has no vocal cords, somehow recording an album. Of Elvis songs. I was of course wrong. Because Paul the Octopus has been made an ambassador for England’s 2018 World Cup bid. Yep, England’s. After Paul achieved his fame in a German tank predicting Germany’s results, he’s going to be the face of the England World Cup bid. My initial reaction is that this is typical of English football. England has no quality underwater ambassadors of their own, despite being mostly surrounded by water. There are of course some talented young barnacles in the English channel. But they lack experience. So the England World Cup bid has paid an expensive foreigner to perform its ambassadorial duties. However, turns out that – much like Simone Perrotta – Paul was actually born in England. Specifically in Weymouth: “Paul has spent the last two years of his life in Germany, but he is definitely a proud Englishman,” Weymouth Sea Life Center manager Nicola Hamilton said. “We have had a number of football approaches from around the world, but Paul was only ever going to choose his homeland.” Of course he was. And I’m sure Paul was fully involved in that decision. This might bring a bit of publicity to the England World Cup bid, but feels like a pretty tacky stunt to me, and one that could very easily backfire. How long before Paul pulls a Lord Triesman and gets trapped into predicting something terrible about the Russians by a tabloid journalist?

You are subscribed to email updates from World Cup Soccer - South Africa 2010 To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

World Cup 2010 Blog: Radomir Antic: Football’s Most Loved Employee

---

Radomir Antic: Football’s Most Loved Employee Posted: 19 Aug 2010 01:39 PM PDT Most if not all, want to be loved and appreciated. Some even require it for the most basic of life’s relationships, be it personal, professional or otherwise. Serbian coach Radomir Antic is no such man. Love him, hate him, cut his pay – it matters not. He’ll still coach your team. At least when he’s not serving a fairly lengthy suspensions. The relationship was coming to an end, with Serbia looking elsewhere after the rather disappointing showing at the World Cup, and even with an impressive qualifying campaign in Antic’s rearview mirror. The Serbian FA could not find an adequate replacement for Antic, however, and decided in the end that it was simply best to keep him on – as Plan D or whatever. Something they didn’t mind at all sharing with the world. Serbia Football Association president Tomislav Karadzic said on Thursday that keeping Antic “is not the best solution, but we have no better candidate.” I’d love to see Karadzic’s marriage vows. “You’re not quite the girl of my dreams, but you’ll do.” And to reward Antic for showing up at a job where he isn’t really wanted, he’ll have his pay cut in half. Right down the middle. Granted, €50k a month is pretty decent by real life standards (as opposed to the fake football world ones), but still – 50% is 50%. So if you see Antic out there, give him a hug and remind him that someone does actually love him. And also point him in the general direction of some sales.

You are subscribed to email updates from World Cup Soccer - South Africa 2010 To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610