Diego Maradona at the 1994 World Cup, the positive test shock retold by the French doctor | OneFootball

At the end of June 1994, Diego Maradona was expelled from the World Cup after a positive doping test. According to L'Équipe, Jean-Marcel Ferret, the French doctor who initiated the control after Argentina’s win over Nigeria, recounts those hours from the inside.

After the 1990 tournament ended in tears, with Roman boos after Argentina had knocked out Italy in the semi-finals in Naples, 1-1, 4-3 on penalties, Maradona sought redemption in 1994. For four years he battled a cocaine-related suspension, age and excess weight, and was often thought finished for the national team. Then came his goal against Greece in the 4-0 win and the ferocious celebration into the camera, a brief rebirth.

The test followed the 2-1 win over Nigeria in Boston. In 1994 only urine samples were permitted, which prolonged procedures in the fierce heat as dehydrated players struggled to provide, sometimes for up to eight hours. Ferret says Maradona’s control lasted about three hours, the forward appeared relaxed and joked with staff, and, amid an unprecedented crowd, the Lyon doctor kept constant watch on the bottles, adding that in photos he even looked more preoccupied than the player.

Days later Maradona was told the sample was positive, notably for ephedrine, a banned substance and a vasoconstrictor dangerous for the heart.

Argentina requested analysis of the B sample, which FIFA president Joao Havelange said was even more incisive. The federation sought a procedural flaw, but ultimately excluded their star, who was provisionally suspended by the international body.

Source: L'Équipe