"Taking cocaine while at Chelsea was the worst decision of my career."
Former Neftchi head coach Adrian Mutu has spoken about the darkest period of his career, Idman.biz reports.
In September 2004, Mutu failed a doping test after traces of cocaine were found in his system. As a result, Chelsea terminated his contract, and he was banned for seven months.
The Romanian striker admitted that he was feeling lonely and sad at the time: "But neither depression nor anything else justifies my actions. I should have asked for help, but I didn't. I learned a valuable life lesson, which made me a better, more mature person. I am proud of that."
Mutu also acknowledged that Chelsea had a zero-tolerance policy for drug use: "I think that's fair. I made a mistake, I lost my way, and I took responsibility for it. I was not prepared for that kind of life. I arrived at Chelsea during a turbulent time in my personal life and became trapped in a web of excuses and lies. I was too young and too alone."
Mutu played for Chelsea from 2003 to 2004. In 2023, he briefly coached Neftchi, before moving on to CFR Cluj and Petrolul in Romania.
Idman.biz
