A university study alleges that players on the West German team that won the 1954 World Cup may have received injections of a stimulant.

"There are several strong indications that point to the injection of [methamphetamine] pervitin in some Germany players and not vitamin C as it was claimed," said sports historian and author Erik Eggers, who conducted the study as part of a team at Humboldt University in Berlin.

Pervitin, a widely used stimulant, had been distributed to German soldiers during World War II. German players at the 1954 tournament were known to have taken injections, which team officials said at the time were vitamin C.

FIFA did not conduct drug tests at the World Cup until 1966. "What is suspicious is that these injections to German players were distributed secretly and the only reason they became known was because those who got injected contracted jaundice," said Eggers.