Ajax old boy David Endt has apologised for claiming Juventus doped during the 1996 Champions League Final between the sides. “I was misunderstood…”
Endt stoked Juve fires ahead of their Champions League quarter-final against Ajax with the controversial accusation, but the Amsterdamers’ former team manager admits he made the comment in jest.
“I was misunderstood, I didn’t say that Juventus was drugged up,” the Inter fan told Tuttomercatoweb.
“What I said was a joke to a fan who wasn’t thinking straight and reacted without thinking.
“Around the Bianconeri there was a feeling of ‘fraud’ and I, laughing, said that maybe it would’ve been an extra motivation, but I wasn’t referring to doping.
“I didn’t want to offend Juventus: they took what I said seriously and they made a story about it…
“We lost the Final because we weren’t at our best and we played badly. The worst came later, but it wasn’t doping. Rather, it was Calciopoli.
“It’s a topic that creates confusion and I wanted to clarify what I said. I repeat, there was no accusation in my words. I’m sorry.
“For us, being drawn Allegri’s team was a huge slice of bad luck. We especially feared the Bianconeri, in addition to the English sides.”