Rangers fans thought Bert Konterman was a bit clumsy on the park before he turned his Ibrox career around to become a cult hero and title winner – not to mention THAT goal against Celtic that won him a place in the hearts of the light blue legions.
But it was his careless words off the park in an interview at a time when he was being universally lampooned for his performances on the pitch that landed him in hot water with FARMERS back in his Netherlands homeland.
It came at a time when some high profile Dutch footballers – ex Ibrox defender Frank de Boer, Edgar Davids and later Jaap Stam – copped bans after failing UEFA drugs tests for the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone. Other stars, such as Pep Guardiola who was playing for Brescia after leaving Barcelona, were also caught up in it but it was a clutch of Dutch players who were most affected.
And Konterman had a theory. “In Holland, a lot of farmers inject cows with nandrolone to enhance the beef and make more money for themselves,” he explained. “The Dutch players have had dinner with the national team and probably had beef with a lot of nandrolone in it. This could be the root of the problem, but players in Scotland are safe because cows aren’t injected with nandrolone. There is plenty of fresh air in Scotland so there is no need to inject them.”
It was the type of response that summed up the thoughtful Konterman but it sparked an international incident. Within hours of it going online the Dutch Farmers Union had been interviewed on TV in Holland.
A spokesman in The Hague said: “I haven’t got a clue where he’s got this from. I have never heard of such a thing in Dutch farming. It is a strange theory. I have checked with beef experts and nandrolone is not used on cattle in any way whatsoever.”
The KNVB said an independent investigation into the food supplements had found no traces of nandrolone. But the story had exploded. The problem was that by that stage in his often eccentric career the former international had been ridiculed for his many ramblings on his own website.
He had previously spoken about how his mum taught him how to play football – not ideal after a struggling start at Gers – and how the Devil stops your team from scoring at times.
Arriving for £4.5 million for Feyenoord as the latest of Dick Advocaat’s Dutch imports, Konterman was tipped to help continue the Light Blues dominance but it coincided with the balance of power switch to Celtic after Martin O’Neill took over at Parkhead.
But Konterman did go on to play a key role under Alex McLeish and scored that stunning winner against the Hoops at Hampden in the League Cup semi-final and helped the go on to lift the trophy with a final win over Ayr. However, injured ruled him out of the Scottish Cup final win over Celtic at the end of that season but he did play a part in the league 2002-03 league success. After three years in Glasgow he returned to the Netherlands where he had a season at Vitesse before retiring.