Footballers are famous all over the world, but living a life of over-the-top extravagance has its own drawbacks. It’s simple to succumb to temptations and go in the wrong direction. High-profile athletes getting caught using drugs can quickly turn into a controversy. Here are some of the times when high-profile footballers were accused of drug abuse in football.
Kolo Toure
Kolo Toure is one of the very few to have played for three of the big-6 clubs in the Premier League. Toure played for Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool. During his time at City, the Football Association (FA) imposed a six-month ban on him.
Toure was banned because of testing positive in a drug test for taking a banned substance. In his defense, Toure admitted to taking his wife’s diet pills. The investigating commission was satisfied with his explanation and handed him only a six-month ban for the abuse.
Adrian Mutu
The former Chelsea midfielder had a controversial time at the North London club. After joining in 2003, Adrian Mutu had his contract terminated in just one season as he tested positive for cocaine. He was given a ban for seven months.
After getting his career on the right track with decent performances at Juventus and Fiorentina, Mutu failed another drug test in 2010. This time around he was given a ban for nine months which was later reduced to six months.
Diego Maradona
Whenever there is a mention of drug abuse in football Diego Maradona’s name pops up without any debate. Maradona is regarded as one of the best football players of all time by many. Yet, his career has also been tainted by a number of off-field scandals and the illustrious forward’s drug abuse.
Maradona received a 15-month suspension in 1991 while playing for Napoli after testing positive for cocaine. He was the leading man for Argentina at the 1994 World Cup. Maradona appeared to be high on something when he scored a goal against Greece and wheeled away to have one of the most memorable World Cup goal celebrations.
He failed a second drug test after the game and was expelled. His final score for the Argentina national team was the goal against Greece.
Pep Guardiola
The boss at Manchester City was also once accused of taking drugs. Before becoming a world-class coach Pep Guardiola was a skilled midfielder who played for a long time. He was a standout performer with superb ball handling, vision, and game-reading skills.
Guardiola failed a drug test in 2001, and his blood was found to contain the illegal chemical nandrolone. The Spaniard wasn’t having it, though, and he fought the accusation in a case that lasted six long years. Yet Guardiola deserves praise for clearing his name in 2007.
However, the accusations were unfortunately brought up again the following year, to the Spaniard’s regret. Yet in 2009, he prevailed and once more cleared his name.
Also Read: Here are some of the biggest match-fixing scandals in football
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