Mario Vuskovic has a tremendous shot. It can even be said that Vuskovic can fire off a hard boom with his right foot. The Croatian, who has been with Hamburger SV since 2021, has already scored one or two fabulous goals from a long-range shot – and because he is already a robust and experienced defender despite his age of just 21, career forecasts did not exactly sound cautious: On Footballers with top team potential, say industry insiders. A great investment, they believed at HSV. And some managers from the English Premier League also found that Vuskovic has long been overqualified for German second division football: purchase offers in the double-digit million range are well documented last summer.
On Saturday, shortly after HSV’s 4-2 home win against SV Sandhausen, a suspicion became public that could render all previous forecasts obsolete: Vuskovic tested positive for the doping agent erythropoietin (Epo). The urine sample was taken on September 16, the player arranged for a B sample to be opened. However, the statistical probability of being found innocent at the second attempt is vanishingly small: the urine given out on the same day is examined. A B-sample is primarily intended to rule out procedural errors.
Epo promotes regeneration – and can also have an enormous effect on performance in football
So there are many indications that German professional football was hit by the first doping case in many years. Regular doping controls have only been carried out in this country during Bundesliga games since 1988, and controls have also been carried out during the training weeks since 1995 – this year Roland Wohlfarth, then a VfL Bochum striker, was the first professional employed in Germany to be convicted of doping. Compared to other sports, there have only been isolated cases of doping in German football since then. However, leading doping experts assume that in the entertainment industry, which is worth billions, particularly sophisticated methods of concealment are sometimes used – especially since the claim that doping has a hardly measurable benefit for footballers is hardly tenable. At the National Anti-Doping Agency Germany (Nada), for example, football is listed in risk group B, the second highest probability level among sports. Doping can have an enormous effect on the performance of professional footballers.
The erythropoietin detected in Vuskovic’ A sample was and has been particularly popular among endurance athletes since the 1990s. The hormone stimulates the production of red blood cells and is said to significantly improve the oxygen supply to the muscles, which does not affect a footballer’s shooting technique or positional play. However, the regenerative effect of Epo can be an advantage in game situations in which body and mind suffer from signs of fatigue: for example when catching a run-away striker in the final phase, or when making an important diagonal pass before the final counterattack. Football games are only decided after 90 or more minutes. Epo can be instrumental in winning them over in the end.
Vuskovic informed HSV and the Croatian Football Association, which he has represented in almost all national youth teams since the age of 15, that he could not explain the positive test. However: Epo is not taken as a pill, but must be administered intravenously or by injection. Accidental intake is therefore almost impossible. In addition, examples from the past show that it usually requires a network of supporters and a functioning infrastructure to operate epo-doping. Like in cycling, for example, where Epo was the number one doping agent for years. And today is? The administration techniques are constantly evolving – and the proof is becoming more and more complicated.
HSV does not currently have to fear any point deductions
As the Hamburger Morgenpost reported, Vuskovic now wants to prove his innocence with a medical report. However, the chances of success are considered extremely low, since genetic predispositions that lead to an overproduction of red blood cells are usually recognized in the laboratories. Vuskovic has been temporarily suspended by the DFB, and if found guilty by a court, he could be banned for up to four years. There are even legal consequences: According to the anti-doping law that has been in force since the end of 2015, doping offenders can be sentenced to up to three years in prison. Vuskovic’s apartment was searched last week and his mobile phone and laptop were confiscated. Prohibited substances were not found. From HSV’s point of view, at least the worst-case scenario initially feared seems unlikely: for a point to be deducted, the club would either have to be partly to blame or at least a second player would have to be proven doping.
The HSV team is meanwhile on a US tour, apart from friendlies there is also a visit to Disneyland. The former hope and most valuable player in the squad, who should be a central figure in the targeted promotion season of the traditional club, is not there. Vuskovic stayed in Hamburg. And it takes a lot of imagination to envision the Croatian’s comeback any time soon.
