Tuesday, Feb. 09, 2010
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A new problem surfaced for AEK Athens on Friday (11/22/2002) as the team's international midfielder Thodoros Zagorakis failed a doping control test taken after the game against OFI (11/3, 0-1) for the 6th day of the Greek league championship. Worth mentioning is the fact that this is the second time that Zagorakis is facing the same issue in his soccer career. Zagorakis had also http://sports.phantis.com/soccer/read.news.html?newsID=20010410121447">tested positive on 12 March 2001 after the Greek league game between AEK v Kalamata. At that time Zagorakis had also tested positive in the second sample taken but was later http://sports.phantis.com/soccer/read.news.html?newsID=20010427094520">cleared by the sports court judge. Zagorakis had claimed back then during his appeal that he did not use banned anabolic steroids and that the elevated sample taken (measured at 6.9 whereas the allowable limit is 6.0) was normal, as his body produces more testosterone than it should. PAE AEK officials are not worrying about this latest incident and will not be ordering a second sample taken as they are aware of Zagorakis' condition. Zagorakis expressed his opinion on the matter and he feels confident that he will be found innocent once again. "I was afraid that this was going to happen again. The same thing has happened in the past and I was found innocent. I have never used any illegal drugs as the problem with me is organic. I will prove that I am innocent once again. I am certain that I will be justified as the last time. In the past I was affected by this as a professional and as a person, but I hope this will not happen again." PAE AEK doctor Lakis Nikolaou touched on the matter as well, being certain that Zagorakis is innocent: "The testosterone found in Zagorakis' sample is not from drug related substances but from the extra amounts of testosterone his body produces. We have gone through the same thing in the past."
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