Buenos Aires, May 25 (AP) Former Argentina teammates of Diego Maradona confirm his claims that there were no doping controls before World Cup playoffs with Australia in 1993, but said they had no knowledge of receiving performance-enhancing drugs.
Former Australia captain Paul Wade said in publish comments today that Argentina was under so much pressure to qualify for the 1994 finals that he would not be surprised if they had resorted to taking performance-enhancing drugs.
He added he was "absolutely gutted" after hearing of Maradona's comments.
Maradona said on Argentine television on Monday that the players were given an unspecified stimulant before the two-legged playoff to decide which team would qualify for the 1994 World Cup in the U.S.
"What happened is that to play against Australia we were given a speedy coffee. They put something in the coffee and that's why we ran more," Maradona told "The Football Show.