Premier League footballers among 150 sports stars involved in doping, British doctor allegedly claims – Mirror.co.uk
A retired British doctor has allegedly said that he doped 150 sports stars.
Mark Bonar, who works out of a private London clinic, is alleged to have said that he prescribed performance-enhancing drugs a number of top UK sports personalities over the last six years.
His ‘clients’ allegedly include Premier League footballers, British cyclists, a boxing champion and an England cricket star.
Dr Bonar allegedly charged thousands of pounds for performance-enhancing drug programmes. He reportedly claimed he had provided banned substances for sports stars that included erythropoietin (EPO), steroids and human growth hormone.
The allegations have come to light as part of an investigation by The Sunday Times, with Dr Bonar said to have made the disclosures in meetings with undercover newspaper reporters.
They report that the government will look into UK Anti Doping’s failure to act after allegedly being handed evidence on Dr Bonar by a sportsperson. Culture secretary John Whittingdale told the paper he was “shocked and deeply concerned” about the allegations.
Mr Whittingdale said: “Sports fans are entitled to be sure that what they are watching is true and fair with all athletes competing on a level playing field.
“I have asked for there to be an urgent independent investigation into what action was taken when these allegations were first received and what more needs to be done to ensure that British sport remains clean.
“There is no room for complacency in the fight against doping and the government is already looking at whether existing legislation in this area goes far enough.
“If it becomes clear that stronger criminal sanctions are needed then we will not hesitate to act.”
Dr Bonar allegedly said that he has treated “a few footballers” who play or have played for Chelsea, Leicester, Arsenal and Birmingham. But The Sunday Times were unable to verify this and the paper say there is “no evidence the clubs were aware of Bonar’s relationship with any players or drug use by them”.
The allegations could rock the sporting world yet further after a number of high-profile doping cases over the last year.
Claims against Russian athletes cast shadows over the world of athletics in late 2015, in the wake of a report from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
WADA found that Russia was guilty of state-sponsored, systemic doping practices , leading to a provisional suspension from all international competitions.
Russia then accepted full suspension over its doping scandal and promised to co-operate with inspectors.
In March, tennis superstar Maria Sharapova admitted she had failed a drugs test ahead of the Australian Open .
The admission led to much criticism, with many in the tennis world saying that she should be banned for the infraction .
Lucas Browne, the WBA heavyweight title, has pleaded his innocence after he failed a test , while in football, a Dinamo Zagreb player who featured in the Champions League was banned for four years .
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