Real Madrid denied on Friday allegations their captain Sergio Ramos breached anti-doping regulations on the night of the 2017 Champions League final.
According to the German magazine Der Spiegel Ramos failed to declare he had taken dexamethasone ahead of the match at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, in which Real beat Juventus 4-1.
In a statement the European champions said that Ramos “has never breached the anti-doping control regulations” and that UEFA “closed the matter immediately”, following the “verification of experts from the World Anti-Doping Agency, AMA, and UEFA itself”.
The club continued: “Regarding the rest of the content from the aforementioned publication, the club will not pronounce on evidence that is so insubstantial.”
Dexamethasone is a glucocorticoid on the banned list of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The substance can have anti-inflammatory effects and increase concentration.
WADA does not prohibit players taking dexamethasone before games, as long as it is declared during a doping test. Der Spiegel claims Ramos and the Real Madrid team doctor instead registered betamethasone, another glucocorticoid on WADA’s banned list.
However the magazine also reports that UEFA were satisfied the mistake was an administrative error and took no disciplinary action.