Many of the top Serie A clubs, including Juventus andInter, will begin secretly drug-testing their players this season.
In the last two years, more than 10 players within Serie A have tested positive for banned substances.
Lazio and ex-Manchester United defender, Jaap Stam was recently banned for four months after testing positive for taking nandrolone, performance-enhancing steroid.
The measure comes as a way of allowing clubs to check on their players’ health but also protects the club if a player is suspended from competing for a period of time.
“A team that invests a lot of money on a star does not want to run the risk of havingthat player banned for being found guilty of doping.,” said professor Franco Lodi of the Institute of Legal Medicine at Milan’s State University.
The clubs will work alongside medical institutes to carry out the tests. In order to prevent cheating, the test will be kept secret and the findings will not be made public.
