Mexican World Cup players banned from eating beef; fear of beef contaminated with clenbuterol
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mexico coach Miguel Herrera attends a press conference after running a training session in Mexico City, Wednesday, May 21, 2014. Mexico will play the World Cup in Brazil in Group A with Brazil, Croatia and Cameroon. (AP Photo/Christian Palma) (The Associated Press)
Mexico's World Cup players are being banned from eating beef, a move aimed at avoiding positive doping tests from meat contaminated with the performance-enchancing drug clenbuterol.
Coach Miguel Herrera said Wednesday he had told his players more than a month ago not to eat red meat.
During the 2011 Gold Cup, five Mexico players tested positive for clenbuterol, a muscle-building drug. The Mexican Football Federation eventually cleared the players of doping. The World Anti-Doping Agency accepted what it termed "compelling evidence" that meat in Mexico was contaminated with clenbuterol and produced the positive tests.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mexican authorities have acknowledged that the drug, which is banned in the sports world, has been used in the country to fatten cattle.