Cascarino, who was based in the south of France in 1994 and ’95, insisted that it was normal practice for most of the Marseille players to be given an injection by the club doctor before all home games.
“To this day, I don’t know what it was; the doctor would only tell me it would give me an adrenalin boost,” Cascarino said. “Whatever the substance was, my performances improved. I cling to a sliver of hope that it was legal, though in reality I’m 99 percent sure it wasn’t.”
Cascarino has also claimed in a newspaper column that the club chairman at the time, Bernard Tapie, “made it clear my place in the team depended on me partaking.” He said once he had signed a new contract and his position at the club was safe, he was able to refuse the injections.
Meanwhile, Tapie reacted angrily to Cascarino’s claims, saying they “made no sense” and that he had only occasional contact with the Irish goal scorer when he was at the club. But Cascarino has responded by insisting that he saw the chairman regularly at games and that Tapie himself also took the injections.
“He was certainly giving the go-ahead for what was going on and for what was happening and he would have these injections as well,” Cascarino said.
Cascarino’s article came in a week when Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand was banned for eight months for failing to turn up for a scheduled drugs test.
Duff hurt
Republic of Ireland soccer international Damien Duff will be out of action for at least three weeks after he dislocated his shoulder during Chelsea’s English Premiership game against Fulham last weekend.
Duff, who has been in outstanding form for both club and country this season, fell awkwardly as he shot at goal and was taken from the pitch on a stretcher. Chelsea won the match, 1-0, thanks to a goal by Hernan Crespo and are now level with Arsenal in second place in the table behind leaders Manchester United.
“Damien is Damien and we’ll miss him,” said Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri. “When I don’t put him in the squad, my 84-year-old mother rings me and asks, ‘Why, why??’ “
Duff should be back in action by mid-January, in plenty of time for the resumption of the Champions League in mid-February.