It’s fair to say that most visiting teams have a tough time of it when they arrive in Bogota to play Colombian outfit Santa Fe, what with the club’s El Campin stadium being perched 2,600 metres above sea level and all.
However, in a bid to combat the head-spinning altitude ahead of their upcoming Copa Sudamericana clash against Santa Fe, Argentinian side Independiente are placing their faith in the tumescent power of the little blue pill.
Independiente are planning to take sildanefil (trade name: Viagra) tablets before the match in order to stimulate blood flow and combat the effects of the thin oxygen.
“We will give them a treatment with sildanefil before the match and on the day of the match,” team doctor Luis Chiaradia told Radio Argentina.
“Sildanefil helps lung circulation. With more blood being pumped into the lungs, it has benefits with regard to the adjustment to high altitude.”
However, Independiente can’t claim to be the first team to experiment with Viagra for high-altitude games, with fellow Argentinian side River Plate recently pioneering the practise.
“River got good results. The experience that has been had with this protocol is very good,” Chiaradia added.
“They [the players] are going to take 50 milligrams of sildanefil the day before the match and 50m the day of the match.”
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