Before and during their performances at the World Cup 2018, Russian players sniffed cotton wool soaked in a solution of ammonia. Journalists of the German edition of Bild Mark Schmidt and Thomas Sulzer talked with the director of the Nuremberg Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research Fritz Zoergeel about why Russians inhale vapors of a strong smelling and suffocating gas. "Ammonia has an encouraging effect, using it to reduce fatigue and increase efficiency," said the expert.. - It acts faster than nicotine or caffeine, because it gets directly into the lungs. If all this is summarized, then so is doping. In my opinion, this should be prohibited ". According to the expert, it is a question of combined doping: "In general, the situation again shows that in football everything is tried, that at least somehow operates and is not forbidden. In this case, everyone knows that a combination of snus (nicotine) and caffeine in combination with something like ammonia has at least the same effect as forbidden stimulation ". The fact that at the World Cup was attracted by Russian football players, Zodler does not surprise. "Russia specializes in the application of little-known methods and substances in the West since the times of the USSR," the source said.. "It is known that state bodies, intelligence agencies and sports closely cooperate. In particular, cosmonautics made it necessary to develop medicines that would help cosmonauts cope with special conditions.

Later, these drugs migrated to the sport, "- believes Sodler. The expert recalled that in Russia there was a system of state doping. "The old guard is still here, and she explained to her successors what's what," said Zodler, noting that the incident at the Olympics in Pyeongchang of meldonia shows that Russia does not fear doping at major events. Explanations of Russian football functionaries about the use of football players with ammonia ammonia, the expert finds ridiculous and "old-fashioned".