After the Premier League fans were shocked by reports of illegal performance enhancing drugs allegedly taken by players from Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC and Leicester City, the doctor who had reportedly prescribed these medicines to the footballers has denied doing any such thing.
Dr. Mark Bonar, who was named in a report by the Sunday Times, had allegedly prescribed illegal drug doses to a number of athletes from the UK. The report says that Dr. Bonar prescribed the illegal drugs to around 150 sportspersons over the years, some of whom also included players from top Premier League clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, and Leicester City.
However, all the three clubs in question have been swift in declaring such allegations baseless.
The report said however, that the journalists who conducted the sting operation did not have any individual evidence against Dr. Bonar.
UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), the body that monitors the use of performance enhancing drugs by athletes, had reportedly been given evidence of Dr. Bonar’s illicit activities a couple of years back. However, the UKAD failed to act at that moment.
In a recent revelation, Dr Bonar has denied the allegations through a Twitter account, that is is believed by the British media to be handled by him. He tweeted,
The @SundayTimesNews allegations are false and very misleading. I have never had a relationship with any premier football club or player.
— Dr Mark S. Bonar (@ZenGrifter) April 3, 2016
I have never prescribed Androgen therapy for the purpose of performance enhancement.. I treat symptomatic men with low Test levels
— Dr Mark S. Bonar (@ZenGrifter) April 3, 2016
The aforementioned Androgen therapy is a medication used for the replacement of hormones such as Testosterone. This kind of therapy is illegal for sportspersons, as it is said to have performance enhancing qualities.
Will this be the Calciopoli of the Premier League?
While the Calciopoli scandal that shook Italian football 10 years back was about match fixing, a doping scandal could also have some serious effects on the league that draws the largest number of television audience from around the world.
What is even more interesting is that Leicester City, a team that has suddenly shot to the top of the Premier League this season, after barely managing to avoid relegation last year, could have all the honours stripped off them. A scandal as big as this had brought top clubs like AC Milan and Juventus down to their knees a decade back, and it could serve to be the undoing of Arsenal, Chelsea and Leicester, if the findings do turn out to be true.
However, with all parties denying all the allegations, it remains to bee seen what UKAD’s investigation into the matter reveals.