Maradona's DIY drug tests

Diego Maradona, the former Argentinian captain, has admitted taking drugs on a regular basis and missing matches when his own private dope tests were positive.

Maradona, 36, who says he has been taking cocaine since 1983, told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that recent allegations that his urine sample was switched with another player's after a routine post-match test on 11 August were unfounded.

The other player's sample, from Boca's opponents Estudiantes, was found to be positive. Maradona, whose test was negative, has not played for the club since then and went to a Swiss clinic for treatment shortly after the match.

"It's a load of nonsense. Because for years I have done my own anti-doping controls on my own, during the week before the match. And if I tested positive in my tests, I did not play," Maradona said. "And I played that time, didn't I?"

In 1994 he was banned from internationals for 15 months after failing a dope test at the World Cup finals.

And in 1991 he was banned for 15 months for testing positive for cocaine while playing for Napoli. When asked whether he would play again, Maradona replied: "Yes, I think so. I will play at least one match with Boca before the end of the year."