Five Mexico stars banned after failing drugs test
- The players test positive for clenbuterol, a banned substance
- Mexican soccer chief says players ingested bad meat
- The five Mexican national team players are out of the Gold Cup tournament
(CNN) -- The governing body of Mexican football has banned five players from its national team after they failed drugs tests taken in late May before the start of an international tournament.
Decio de Maria, Secretary General of the Mexican Federation of Football, announced the suspensions of national team members Guillermo Ochoa, Francisco Javier Rodriguez, Edgar Duenas, Antonio Naelson "Sinha" and Christian Bermudez at a Thursday news conference.
De Maria blamed the failed drug tests on bad meat eaten by the players.
The five tested positive for clenbuterol, a banned anabolic agent that can be found in meats.
Mexican football officials contend the five players ingested the substance accidentally.
The suspensions could be devastating to Mexico's chances at the Gold Cup, an international tournament currently under way that includes nations from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Mexico is the tournament's returning champion.
Samples of red meat have been collected from a restaurant the players had frequented and will be tested, according to the federation.
The federation stated that a final decision on the players' status is pending the results of the tests.
