Real Madrid have released an official statement denying any wrongdoing on the part of defender and club captain Sergio Ramos in the wake of doping allegations made against the player.
The latest Football Leaks revelations from German publication Der Spiegel claim that Ramos tested positive for dexamethasone, and that he misled testers about what he’d be using ahead of the Champions League final.
Additional reporting from BBC Sport claim Ramos blamed club staff for the mix-up, with Uefa supposedly accepting an apology from the Spain international for the whole thing.
While this sounds like it has the potential to be a pretty serious story, Madrid seem firm in their belief that Ramos has done nothing wrong.
Real have released an official statement defending their player and also questioning much of the unsubstantial evidence provided in the report from Der Spiegel.
The statement on their website read as follows:
‘In relation to the information published by Der Spiegel referring to our captain Sergio Ramos, the club states the following:
1. Sergio Ramos has never breached the anti-doping control regulations.
2. UEFA requested timely information and closed the matter immediately, as is usual in these cases, after verification by the experts themselves of the World Anti-Doping Agency, AMA, and of UEFA itself.
3. Regarding the rest of the content of the aforementioned publication, the club does not pronounce itself before the evidence of its insubstantial nature.’
This incident is said to have taken place ahead of the Champions League final in 2017, when Ramos’ Madrid side beat Juventus 4-1 in the final in Cardiff.