Following accusations of doping from doctor Ulf Karlsson, Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s agent has hit back in a big way.
Dr Karlsson, who has previously worked with the Swedish national team, asked questions about the Paris Saint-Germain forward’s physical development – as well as that of fellow Sweden international Albin Ekdal – when the pair were together at Juventus.
While JOE is still awaiting an official response from Ibrahimovic’s representatives, agent Mino Raiola told Swedish publication Expressen that a lawsuit is in the offing. Raiola declared:
“We will sue him. I’m not an expert, but we have a Swedish lawyer. We are not saying who the lawyer is. That will come later.
“There are always people who hate. Maybe [Dr Karlsson] is a former athlete who failed. Maybe he’s jealous.
“This man has made a big mistake. He will have had a life before this statement, and a life after it. He is spreading falsehoods.
“We had plenty of doping controls at Juventus. Zlatan was tested between fifteen and twenty times. He was tested all the time. Juventus were put under the microscope.
“It’s ridiculous. The facts are not there. We can prove that it is not true.
“At all the clubs Zlatan has been at, he doesn’t even take aspirin.
“Zlatan is calm. He’s more embarrassed that he missed a penalty [against Manchester City] yesterday. He said this is not the arena to respond to these kinds of allegations.”
It must be noted that Ibrahimovic has never failed a drug test in his career and, as he stated, Karlsson has brought no evidence to bear.
