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."