{"id":38138,"date":"2026-07-03T18:55:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T18:55:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/03\/world-cup-doping-scandal-8-star-players-test-positive-for-banned-substances-soccer-sports\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T18:55:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T18:55:29","slug":"world-cup-doping-scandal-8-star-players-test-positive-for-banned-substances-soccer-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/03\/world-cup-doping-scandal-8-star-players-test-positive-for-banned-substances-soccer-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"World Cup doping scandal: 8 star players test positive for banned substances | Soccer | Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"photo changeSpace\">\n<p class=\"withoutCaption\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"zoomEnabled\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/67\/1200x712\/secondary\/the-fifa-logo-is-displayed-on-the-at-t-stadium-for-the-2026-world-cup-with-a-press-conference-7020755.jpg?r=1783104103866\" alt=\"Eight players have reportedly tested positive for banned substances.\" title=\"Eight players have reportedly tested positive for banned substances.\" width=\"590\" height=\"393\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"newsCaption\">Eight players have reportedly tested positive for banned substances. <span class=\"caption\">(Image: Getty)<\/span><span class=\"magnifier\" data-img=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/67\/1200x712\/secondary\/the-fifa-logo-is-displayed-on-the-at-t-stadium-for-the-2026-world-cup-with-a-press-conference-7020755.jpg?r=1783104103866\"\/><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-description\">\n<p>Tunisia&#8217;s disastrous World Cup campaign was thrown into further turmoil after eight players showed traces of banned drugs during the tournament. The North African nation was soundly defeated by Sweden, Japan and the Netherlands in the group stage, making them the only CAF representative not to advance to the finals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-description\">\n<p data-mce-linkchecker-status=\"valid\">If their performances on the pitch didn&#8217;t do enough damage, Tunisia also became World Cup legends by sacking head coach Sabri Lamouchi after a 5-1 thrashing of Sweden in the opening game of the tournament. Their disastrous campaign was made worse by behind-the-scenes revelations that several players showed traces of clenbuterol in mandatory anti-doping procedures, according to the Times.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-description\">\n<p>Clenbuterol is classified as a beta-2 agonist and acts similarly to anabolic steroids, substances that can aid muscle development and reduce body fat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-description\">\n<p>However, it has been recorded that this meat is used in Mexican agriculture to produce lean meat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-description\">\n<p>The identities of the athletes involved are kept secret, but they were spared suspensions because of the numerous incidents involving contaminated meat, particularly in Mexico.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-description\">\n<p>Tunisia&#8217;s tournament is based in Monterrey, Mexico, and the same report suggests a nearby restaurant has been identified as part of an investigation into the matter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-description\">\n<p>Indeed, there is a track record of athletes showing traces of banned substances after unknowingly eating contaminated meat while in Mexico.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-description\">\n<p>At the 2011 Under-17 World Cup, more than 100 players from 19 national teams had traces of clenbuterol in their systems.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"photo changeSpace\">\n<p class=\"withoutCaption\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"zoomEnabled\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/67\/1200x712\/secondary\/kansas-city-mo-a-tunisia-flag-flies-before-the-fifa-world-cup-2026-group-f-match-between-7020760.jpg?r=1783104103884\" alt=\"Tunisia was eliminated from the World Cup in the group stage.\" title=\"Tunisia was eliminated from the World Cup in the group stage.\" width=\"590\" height=\"393\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"newsCaption\">Tunisia was eliminated from the World Cup in the group stage. <span class=\"caption\">(Image: Getty)<\/span><span class=\"magnifier\" data-img=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/67\/1200x712\/secondary\/kansas-city-mo-a-tunisia-flag-flies-before-the-fifa-world-cup-2026-group-f-match-between-7020760.jpg?r=1783104103884\"\/><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-description\">\n<p>At the time, the Mexican Football Federation and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) opposed pursuing charges, citing substantial evidence pointing to contamination.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-description\">\n<p>In 2022, WADA issued Technical Letter 23 specifically addressing clenbuterol, along with other comparable substances, and confirming that clenbuterol detected in urine at an estimated concentration of 5 ng\/mL is not immediately considered an adverse analytical finding (AAF), but instead is classified as an atypical finding (ATF).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-description\">\n<p>A mandatory investigation will then be conducted to determine if the results are likely due to contaminated meat. If this explanation is confirmed, as in this case, no further action will be taken.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-description\">\n<p>As a result, the Tunisian federation, the player and his club have been identified, but there is no indication that the player will face further repercussions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-description\">\n<p>Concerns surrounding Thomas Tuchel&#8217;s side&#8217;s trip to Mexico City are likely to increase further in light of the developments, but England are almost certain to be unaffected as they source their food at home and travel with their own team of chefs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-description\">\n<p>FIFA has so far declined to comment on the matter, and the Tunisian federation has not responded to requests for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/sport\/football\/2225169\/World-Cup-Tunisia\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eight players have reportedly tested positive for banned substances. (Image: Getty) Tunisia&#8217;s disastrous World Cup campaign was thrown into further turmoil after eight players showed traces of banned drugs during the tournament. The North African nation was soundly defeated by Sweden, Japan and the Netherlands in the group stage, making them the only CAF representative<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38139,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-38138","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-matches"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>World Cup doping scandal: 8 star players test positive for banned substances | Soccer | Sports - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News &amp; Updates<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/03\/world-cup-doping-scandal-8-star-players-test-positive-for-banned-substances-soccer-sports\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"World Cup doping scandal: 8 star players test positive for banned substances | Soccer | Sports - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News &amp; Updates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Eight players have reportedly tested positive for banned substances. (Image: Getty) Tunisia&#8217;s disastrous World Cup campaign was thrown into further turmoil after eight players showed traces of banned drugs during the tournament. 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