STAM 'SHOCKED AND SICKENED' AT DRUG SLUR
Stam, who joined the Italian giants from Manchester United in a shock £16.5 million deal in August, was tested positive in a urine sample taken after the Rome club's Serie A clash with Atalanta on October 13.
And under new Italian doping rules, Stam will be suspended with immediate effect pending a disciplinary hearing, although he will hope a second test will clear his name.
It is the latest in a line of doping cases, which has rocked Italian football and Stam becomes the third Dutch international - following Edgar Davids and Frank de Boer - to be tested positive.
On the allegations, Stam said: "This has turned my world upside down. I am absolutely gutted by these allegations.
"I simply cannot believe this has happened to me and I feel sick at the suggestion I would take drugs.
"I know nothing about the whole nandrolone situation. I can declare with my hand on my heart that I have no knowledge of taking any supplement that would have brought me into this very difficult situation.
"Nor have I had even a vague indication of any risks concerning doping.
"I find it astonishing and sad that I had to learn about this through Dutch journalists."
However, Stam does have the support of Cragnotti, who claims something strange was going on.
"This season began bad and is going even worse. I believe in Stam who says he hasn't used any illegal substances. But everything is really strange because four days after Lazio-Atalanta all our players had to a drug test and no one failed it," he said.
Cragnotti claims the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) arrived at Formello, the club's training headquarters, by surprise to take the samples of 10 Lazio players. Stam was not one of the 10, but the club decided all players should take one and the subsequent results declared no one had failed.
Ironically, Portuguese international Fernando Couto, who was another to test positive for nandrolone last season, will take Stam's place in the Lazio side for their clash with Udinese on Sunday.
