European: Juventus fury at Zola

Gianfranco Zola is at the centre of a controversy with the former Chelsea man's comments about the doping scandal at Juventus angering the Turin club.

Zola, who currently plays for Sardinian side Cagliari, expressed his opinion on the Italian court's findings that players had been given performance enhancing drugs in the mid 1990s.

Zola was at Parma between 1994 and 1998, and expressed his disgust that players were on drugs - although only a club medical officer at Juve has been found guilty of any wrongdoing.

"I worked hard physically and made sacrifices to improve physically and, when you enter into competition with players who use doping, it is a blow," said Zola.

"I'm sorry but I think it's an incredible act of cowardice."

Juve were furious with the comments, which were published in several Italian papers - forcing Cagliari president Massimo Cellino to publicly defend the popular forward.

"I've spoken to him [Zola] and he insists that he never mentioned Juventus and that it wasn't his intention to attack them," said Cellino.

"He's absolutely mortified. He expressed his opinion about doping - meaning to condemn it. His words have been taken out of context."

The Italian Court jailed Dr Riccardo Agricola for ten-months after finding him guilty of a charge of 'dangerous use of medicine', although the former club doctor has appealed.

Juve general officer Antonio Giraudo was cleared of all wrongdoing.

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