Soccer players are applauded for doping, while cyclist are censured for it, 2006 Tour de France winner Óscar Pereiro claimed on the Spanish television show “Punto Pelota” this weekend.
“Giovanella tested positive, Gurpegui, Guardiola … And all are because they take an energy complex. If a cyclist takes it, he has doped. Everyone at San Mamés, Balaidos, Barcelona shouts ‘innocent’ and I have to put on a mask to walk down the street.”
Asked about Operación Puerto, which together with accusations from Floyd Landis tainted him as a possible doping offender, he answered that “Zidane has admitted that he had a blood transfusion in Switzerland to regenerate his body. In cycling that is [a doping] positive”.
The problem, he summarized, is that it is often seen that the cyclist is done but the soccer player “is fighting for his club colors.”
“No hay cojones (no one has the balls) to tell the truth story about Operación Puerto in this country,†Pereiro said. “Don’t even bring up Fuentes. Hopefully some day Fuentes will stand up and say everything he knows. A lot of those bags found in the raids had ‘European championship’ written on them. There isn’t a European championships in cycling. It’s all been an embarrassment.â€
Óscar Pereiro has never been convicted for any doping offence himself. After his cycling career, he signed with Spanish Segunda División B club Curuxo FC in 2010, saying that it was his childhood dream to become a professional soccer player. He made two appearances for the team that season, scoring twice.
I think this is the video from the “Punto Pelota” shot. Don’t speak Spanish, but they seem quite agitated.
Via cyclingnews.com and velonews
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