体坛英语新闻：Maradona insists doping allegations

BUENOS AIRES, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Argentine legend Diego Maradona on Friday repeated doping allegations against Argentine Football Federation president Julio Grondona, insisting the latter let players to take a banned substance ahead of a 1994 World Cup playoff with Australia.

"Grondona told us a week beforehand we could take the substance we wanted as there was to be no anti-doping control," 1986 World Cup winner Maradona told Argentine radio station Metro.

Grondona said said earlier this week that doping controls were deliberately overlooked so as to prevent Maradona, who served a 15-month suspension in 1991 for taking cocaine, to fail a test.

Former Australian football officials have denied being party to any deal to prevent drug testing before the play-off, which saw Argentina go through to the 1994 finals over two legs.

Former Argentina defender Jorge Borelli and former midfielder Hugo Perez have denied Maradona's claim - but the latter accused them of only "playing Grondona's game."

Maradona said: "I don't know who took what. The only thing I know is that I went walking around the whole of Australia with (former wife) Claudia until eight o'clock in the morning and that various others couldn't get to sleep, I don't know why."