#7 Mexico’s “Chicken-Gate” drug scandal
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In what was one of the few football doping cases to be reported in the mainstream media, five Mexico players who were drug tested prior to the 2011 Gold Cup were found to have the banned substance clenbuterol in their system. The five players were all found guilty of taking the drug, which is often used by bodybuilders and celebrities to shed body fat.
But despite being found guilty, the players claimed the reason for the positive drug test was due to tainted meat, as the substance is often illegally used to speed up growth and increase muscle mass in cattle.
While the five players did not win an appeal against their ban, the Mexican team still managed to win the Gold Cup largely thanks to the heroics of Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez and Giovani Dos Santos.
After a further four Mexican players were found to have clenbuterol in their system during the Under-17 World Cup, an investigation was launched by FIFA which found more than 100 players taking part in the tournament tested positive for the drug. FIFA’s chief medical officer said he had “not seen anything like it” in his 20 years in the role.
Mexico went on to win the Under-17 World Cup and none of the team's players were found to have the substance in their system as the previous bans meant the team was only allowed to eat fish and vegetables.
While it’s still unknown if the initial five players found guilty intentionally took the substance or not, the “tainted meat” excuse has since been used by several athletes found guilty of using the drug, including Tour de France champion Alberto Contador and Australian Rules Footballers Josh Thomas and Lachie Keeffe, who were both banned for two years after testing positive to the drug.
