There is no need to take seriously the words of former Netherlands midfielder Rafael van der Vaart that Russian footballers may have used doping at Euro 2008, said former head coach of the Russian national team Guus Hiddink.
Van der Vaart, in a podcast with Wesley Sneijder, recalled the quarterfinal match lost to Russia in extra time, accusing them of using doping.
Van der Vaart reminded that it was 40 degrees Celsius in Basel, Switzerland, and the Dutch team was exhausted, but the Russians, including Arshavin, were running "like new" in extra time.
According to Hiddink, who managed the Russian national team in that tournament, he was surprised by the underestimation from the opponents.
"Our team had excellent technical and tactical qualities across all positions, based on great physical endurance from hard training," Hiddink said.
It is worth noting that at the 2008 European Championship, the Russian national team, led by Dutch coach Guus Hiddink, defeated the Netherlands 3-1 in extra time. The Netherlands was considered the favorite of the match by most fans, experts, and bookmakers.
After losing to the Russian team, the Dutch won 8 consecutive matches in the qualifying tournament for the 2010 World Cup, and then 6 consecutive matches in the final tournament in South Africa, losing only in the final to the Spanish national team.
