SIX Mexican National Football Players Busted for CLENBUTEROL

cajun_cyclist

http://www.soccerway.com/news/2011/June ... drug-bans/

Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, defensive pair Francisco Rodriguez and Edgar Duenas and midfield duo Antonio Naelson and Christian Bermudez all returned positive tests for clenbuterol while Ricardo Osorio – also suspended – had already been ruled out of the tournament due to a medical condition, prior to the finding.

Odd story, sure, I'd think some beef somewhere in Mexico could have some clenbuterol in it. So six players test positive for it? Doesn't make sense.

These are all Mexico National Team players who were going to participate in the Gold Cup tournament, a tournament held every 2 or 4 years to determine the best team in CONCACAF and includes teams like Canada, USA, Honduras, Costa Rica, etc. and often invites a 'foreign team' as well as South Africa once participated in it.

Now at least some of these players were in last year's World Cup, at least the goalkeeper Ochoa was selected and is a bit of a celebrity in Mexico

cajun_cyclist

The BBC is reporting 5 players, so this is a bit on how this story is written up. Still, 5 or 6, doesn't matter much in this case.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/13719472.stm

Maybe there is a logical explanation.

De Maria added: "The cause is believed to be because of [eating] beef or chicken between 17 and 20 May so an investigation will be made with the food suppliers. For the time being we don't see any negligence by anyone, not even theirs.

"We know there is a health alert throughout the country because of food contaminated with Clenbuterol and that will be taken into account for the investigation."

In April, Germany's anti-doping agency [Nada] advised against athletes eating products from Mexico...

Maybe. Doesn't make sense all these guys would get caught. Maybe we don't know enough about Clen.

CyclingBantam

Interesting how the default angle in the report of footballers is that 'there must be a logical explanation'.

When it is a cyclist the default is they they have been cheating.

I know why that is, don't get me wrong, but so much for impartiality when reporting.

term1te

Mexican beef or chicken being blamed... How will this impact the Contador case? Some might say, if half a football team can "accidentally" become contaminated, must be an everyday occurrence. Equally the more sensitive assay may be being rolled out from the German lab? I guess the comparisons depend on the levels found in the footballers and whether they can find any contaminated food. Good timing for Bertie though.

cal_stewart

cas should still hang him

andyp

Term1te wrote:

Mexican beef or chicken being blamed... How will this impact the Contador case? Some might say, if half a football team can "accidentally" become contaminated, must be an everyday occurrence. Equally the more sensitive assay may be being rolled out from the German lab? I guess the comparisons depend on the levels found in the footballers and whether they can find any contaminated food. Good timing for Bertie though.

There are still countries where the use of Clenbuterol on livestock is permitted, including China and much of the Americas. In these countries contamination via the food chain is possible.

In Spain, as part of the EU, the use of Clenbuterol is banned and contamination cases are almost non-existent. For Contador's defence to be credible he has to prove that there are cases of contamination in Spain, something which he's failed to do so far.

Abdoujaparov

andyp wrote:

In Spain, as part of the EU, the use of Clenbuterol is banned .

It's permitted in the EU to prevent premature birth in cattle.

Gingerflash

True, but it's unlikely that beef farmers would be slaughtering pregnant cows.

andrewjoseph

Didn't Berties lawyers use the argument that clenbuterol is used in Argentina and that there are black market imports of Argentinian beef into Spain and so Bertie's beef could have been from this source?

If clen is so common in mexican beef and chicken, why don't the whole team and other teams show evidence? or maybe they do and it's not been reported yet.

Either way, I don't think it will influence CAS.

CyclingBantam

andrewjoseph wrote:

Didn't Berties lawyers use the argument that clenbuterol is used in Argentina and that there are black market imports of Argentinian beef into Spain and so Bertie's beef could have been from this source?

If clen is so common in mexican beef and chicken, why don't the whole team and other teams show evidence? or maybe they do and it's not been reported yet.

Either way, I don't think it will influence CAS.

But surely the whole reason he got the beef from spain was because he wanted some from a trusted source. Seems strange it was then got from somewhere that had absolutely no idea of it's provinence...

...my head hurts.

cajun_cyclist

Javier Hernandez, Chicharito for Man Utd. appears not to be included in this bunch.

But a PSV (Einhoven I think) player Rodriguez is in the group. http://www.soccerway.com/players/franci ... inedo/420/

The rest of the players from what I could see seem to be mainly domestic playing for Mexico's leagues. So this incident seems to have had to have happened to the Mexico National Team.

It vaguely crossed my mind that it could be ruse but that seems very farfetched. It does make Contador look good.

Cumulonimbus

Was at a training camp in Mexico before the tournament started

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/footba ... -test.html

Dont know what the concentrations were, ie if they were consistent with contamination.

dennisn

I ate a couple of beef tacos in Acapulco about 6 months ago. How worried should I be?

CyclingBantam

dennisn wrote:

I ate a couple of beef tacos in Acapulco about 6 months ago. How worried should I be?

I don't know but I would get registered for some time trials if I were you!

dougzz

dennisn wrote:

I ate a couple of beef tacos in Acapulco about 6 months ago. How worried should I be?

He lives

cajun_cyclist

Yeah, where is again? Dennis?

Anyway, I'm not needlessly bumping this thread, what a bunch of bellends, a different selection for Mexico, still a National Team got into some other trouble in Ecuador for the Copa America tournament. http://www.soccerway.com/news/2011/June ... n-scandal/

Doobz

all have been cleared

http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza/voetbal/ ... gschorsing

cajun_cyclist

Doobz, thanks for the update, I would not have known so I looked it up.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ar ... e31d7.1181

What can you say? Maybe WADA and/or FIFA can look at it further.