Eight Tunisia players fail doping test at the World Cup

Eight players in Tunisia’s World Cup squad have tested positive for clenbuterol, a substance on the banned list of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

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According to The Times, the players ingested the substance by eating contaminated meat at their World Cup base in Mexico.

The clubs of the players have been informed about the situation; however, it is likely that FIFA will not impose a penalty because the incident is assessed to originate from contaminated food sources, rather than intentional use of banned substances.

Tunisia endured a miserable tournament, losing 5-1 to Sweden on June 15, 4-0 to Japan on June 21 and 3-1 to the Netherlands on June 26.

Meanwhile, there is a history of athletes testing positive in Mexico after unknowingly eating contaminated meat.

In the 2011 Under 17s World Cup, held in Mexico, no fewer than 109 players returned positive tests for clenbuterol. Both FIFA and WADA decided not to prosecute any cases because the weight of evidence pointed to contamination.

Mexico, who won the tournament, were pronounced as testing clean because they switched to a diet of fish and vegetables before it started.