Real Madrid denies Sergio Ramos' doping allegations

In shocking revelations made by German publication Der Spiegel, it is believed that Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos was involved in a doping scandal back in 2017 before the final of the UEFA Champions League against Juventus.

These claims have been made based on the documents obtained by whistleblowers Football Leaks. However, Real Madrid have denied the failed doping test allegations leveled on captain Sergio Ramos.

The Spanish footballer was, reportedly, tested positive for a banned substance dexamethasone following a urine test by the defender, prior to the 2017 Champions League final against Juventus.

The second claim made by publication is that Sergio Ramos showered prior to providing his sample after a La Liga match against Malaga in April 2018. The newspaper says the case was later handled by AEPSAD which is Spain's Anti-doping agency.

AEPSAD have clarified their stance in the wake of these reports. The statement reads: Given the numerous inquiries from the national and international media, the Spanish Agency for the Protection of Health in Sport (AEPSAD) reports the following:

The 13-time European champions issued a statement terming the reports of doping breach as "insubstantial" in nature, the club stated that they will not address the evidence presented.

"Sergio Ramos has never breached anti-doping control regulations. UEFA requested timely information and closed the matter immediately, as is usual in these cases, after verification by the experts from the World Anti-Doping Agency, AMA, and of UEFA itself," the club's statement read.

"Regarding the rest of the content of the aforementioned publication, the club will not address evidence of such an insubstantial nature," the statement added.

Union of European Football Association [UEFA] also issued a statement in the matter where it completely denied the allegations.

"UEFA strongly rejects the unfounded accusations that it has concealed positive doping results, and all cases of UEFA doping control are carried out in accordance with the Code of the World Anti-Doping Agency," the statement said.

"All the cases required by the WADA Code have shown that UEFA has provided all the detailed information, expert reports and evidence during the handling of such cases," the statement concluded.

(ANI inputs)