GIO REVEALS DRUG FEAR

GIOVANNI VAN BRONCKHORST has revealed his fear over the drug problems that have rocked Dutch football, and the Arsenal midfielder has confirmed that he will stop taking all supplements - even if it hinders his game.

The 26-year-old, who made the move south from Rangers in the summer, is petrified of testing positive for illegal substances, like international team-mates Frank de Boer and Edgar Davids.

Barcelona defender De Boer and Juventus midfielder Davids both tested positive for nandrolone, and have been banned from football.

The link to the Dutch national team is obvious, and van Bronckhorst has revealed that all players from the Netherlands are fearful that they may be next.

"The fear of being tested positive for doping has become very big among the players," the former Rangers man said. "As a result, I have decided to stop taking all supplements."

The decision could affect van Bronckhorst`s play, with him saying: "I suffer badly from hay fever. These months my eyes itch like mad and my nose and throat hurt. But I dare not take the smallest dose of medicine.

"Every Dutch footballer is frightened to death that his career will be finished if he is tested positive for anything.

"After the suspensions to Frank de Boer and Edgar Davids, everyone in the Dutch camp is wondering what will happen when we are tested next. What has happened to those two could have happened to others too.

"Since nobody can guarantee that the supplements are absolutely free of doping substances, I won`t touch them anymore."

Davids is convince that his compatriots are innocent, adding: "I still cannot believe that Frank or Edgar have taken drugs. I know them both really well.

"We Dutch players are asking for medical clearance and research on the level on nandrolone in the body.

"So long as we don't know what the body produces naturally in nandrolone terms, players should not be suspended or sentenced."