Football: Konterman puts his foot in it over drugs allegation; DUTCH FARMERS CLAIM BERT HAS LOST IT OVER NANDROLONE SCANDAL.
Byline: IAIN CAMPBELLBERT Konterman last night copped a fresh dose of foot in mouth disease when he blamed greedy Dutch farmers for countrymen Frank de Boer and Edgar Davids failing drugs tests.
The Rangers defender claimed the Holland stars may have innocently eaten meat produced by cows fattened up by the steroid nandrolone.
Konterman reckons that Dutch farmers regularly inject cattle with the banned drug to fatten them up and that de Boer and Davids could have gone over the limit by eating steaks while on international duty. But last night the Dutch Farmers' Union claimed that the defender was talking total nonsense, insisting: "We don't know where he has got this from."
Both Davids and de Boer tested positive for the controversial substance following recent UEFA tests and now the entire Dutch squad is expected to undergo checks.
But Konterman said: "In Holland, a lot of farmers inject cows with nandrolone to enhance the beef and make more money for themselves.
"I think this is what happened. The Dutch players have had dinner with the national team and probably had beef with a lot of nandrolone in it.
"This could be the root of the problem but players in Scotland are safe because cows aren't injected with nandrolone. There is plenty of fresh air in Scotland so there is really no need to inject them with anything."
But last night Dutch farmers reckoned that Konterman has come out with another howler in a season which has seen him regularly land himself in the proverbial manure.
They immediately questioned where he received his information, claiming
he has been definitely mis-informed.
A spokesman for the Dutch Farmers Union in The Hague said: "I haven't got a clue where he's got this from.
"I have never heard of such a thing in Dutch farming. It is a strange theory.
"I have checked with beef experts and nandrolone is not used on cattle in any way whatsoever."
Meanwhile SFA bosses have contacted the Dutch FA to ask if they should be taking any action over the Rangers players - Konterman, Ronald de Boer, Giovanni van Bronkhorst and Fernando Ricksen - who've all been in recent Holland squads.
Spokesman Andy Mitchell said: "This is a wide ranging issue affecting not only Rangers but numerous other clubs in Europe.
"So we decided to fax the Dutch FA to find out if there is substance to these reports and if there is any action which they recommend we take."
CAPTION(S):
WHAT A STINK: Konterman is blaming farmers for the Dutch squad's drug worries; PROBE: The entire Dutch squad, pictured left celebrating, could undergo drugs tests
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| Title Annotation: | Sport |
|---|---|
| Publication: | The Mirror (London, England) |
| Date: | May 11, 2001 |
| Words: | 439 |
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