sports
February 17, 2026
‘They were like bombs’: Helenio Herrera’s little white pills kept Inter’s players buzzing
In an extract from his book, Richard Fitzpatrick reveals in the early 1960s the grand Italian club was equipped for doping like ‘a small hospital’
TL;DR
- Inter Milan in the early 1960s was allegedly equipped for doping like a 'small hospital'.
- Coach Helenio Herrera reportedly used youth players as 'guinea pigs' for drug experiments with amphetamines.
- Players experienced severe side effects from the pills, including hallucinations and extreme tiredness.
- Many players attempted to avoid taking the pills by hiding them.
- Doping controls were introduced in Italy in the 1961-62 season but were easily overcome.
- Elaborate methods, such as substituting urine samples, were used to evade doping tests.
- Ferruccio Mazzola's 2004 whistleblowing memoir about Herrera's doping practices led to a libel lawsuit against him by Inter.
- The club lost the libel case in 2008, failing to prove the allegations were untrue.
- Sandro Mazzola, Ferruccio's brother, eventually softened his stance, confirming he also pretended to take the pills.
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