Schumacher faces flak

Press, 26 February 1987, Page 48

Schumacher faces flak

NZPA-Reuter Bonn Allegations that West German soccer players take dope look like landing the World Cup goalkeeper, Harald “Toni” Schumacher, in trouble with his club, fellow players and national federation. Schumacher’s claims of dope-taking, made in an autobiography due to appear next month, caused a storm of controversy after excerpts were published in the magazine "Spiegel,” on Tuesday. The West German Football Federation (D.F.8.) said it would look into whether action should be taken against Schumacher for bringing the sport into disrepute after studying the book. The National team manager, Franz Becken-

bauer, strongly criticised by his captain Schumacher, in the book, said the goal-keeper would be named today in his squad for a special training session next month. A former Cologne star, Wolfgang Overath, has said he will take legal action against the goalkeeper if he is named as one of the former players who Schumacher claimed he once drove regularly to a doctor who handed out drugs. Current professionals playing in West Germany are split between those who describe Schumacher’s allegations as nonsense and those who say they know of cases where dope was taken.