Banned substance found in players’ samples linked to contaminated Mexican meat, as England fly in own chefs for last-16 tie
Eight Tunisia players returned positive doping tests during a turbulent World Cup campaign, though officials believe contaminated meat eaten by the squad in Mexico is the likely cause rather than deliberate doping, according to Truth Times.
The North African side, whose tournament had already been marked by chaos on and off the pitch, saw the players — including some based in the UK — return so-called atypical findings for clenbuterol, a substance that relaxes the airways and features on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list.
Under WADA rules updated in 2022, any detection of clenbuterol below 5 ng/mL in urine is classified as an Atypical Finding rather than the more serious Adverse Analytical Finding, triggering an investigation into its source rather than an automatic doping charge. Where contaminated meat is found to be the likely explanation, no further action is taken.
That appears to be the direction of travel here. Investigators concluded that contamination, most likely through meat consumed by the squad at their Mexico base, was more probable than any performance-enhancing intent. The players’ clubs have been informed of the situation, though further sanctions are considered highly unlikely.
Clenbuterol is used illicitly by bodybuilders seeking to shed fat while preserving muscle mass, but in several countries, including Mexico, it is also administered legally to livestock as a growth promoter, particularly in cattle farming. This has created a well-documented history of athletes testing positive after unknowingly consuming contaminated meat while competing in the country.
The most notable precedent came at the 2011 Gold Cup, when five Mexico players tested positive and were withdrawn from the tournament, only to be cleared after the Mexican Football Federation and WADA jointly attributed the results to contamination. Later that year, the issue reached far greater scale at the Under-17 World Cup in Mexico, where 109 players returned positive tests for the substance. Both FIFA and WADA opted against prosecuting any of the cases, again citing the weight of evidence pointing to contaminated meat. Mexico, who went on to win that tournament, avoided the issue entirely by switching their squad to a diet of fish and vegetables in the build-up.
For Tunisia, the doping revelations added to what was already a chastening World Cup. The team lost 5-1 to Sweden, 4-0 to Japan on 21 June and 3-1 to the Netherlands on 26 June. After the opening defeat to Sweden, Tunisia became the first nation in World Cup history to sack their head coach after just a single match, dismissing Sabri Lamouchi, the former Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City manager. The timing of the test results, which emerged over the course of the tournament, may well have compounded the turmoil surrounding the squad.
The episode comes as England prepare to fly to Mexico for their last-16 tie against the co-hosts in Mexico City. The FA is understood to take its own precautions against contamination risks of this kind, travelling with its own chefs and ensuring all food provided to players is checked against relevant regulations.
FIFA declined to comment when approached. The Tunisian Football Federation did not respond to requests for comment.
