Zinedine Zidane, hero of France’s 1998 World Cup championship team, criticized former France team doctor Jean-PierrePaclet for his book “Implosion,” in which he claimed that “blood sample tests on several France players just before the 1998 World Cup revealed anomalies.
Paclet’s suspicion wasbased on the fact that “some of the players are employed, notably the Italian league.” Zidane spent five seasons at Juventus, which was embroiled in a doping scandal.
In an interview onTV5 Monde, Zidane suggested Paclet was sensationalizing to sell more copies. “It’s not nice to hear, and it’s unfortunate, but that’s life,” he said. “People like that are just looking to boost theirbook sales by adding some shocking content. It’s not new.”