Eight players on World Cup side show traces of banned substance during anti-doping tests

What is Clembuterol?

The substance found in their tests is on the list of banned substances made by WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency, and is thought to have performance-enhancing qualities if taken in sufficient amounts. The drug is often used for medicinal purposes to ease breathing for those who suffer from asthma or respiratory issues, but can increase the cardiovascular capacities of athletes, and allow them greater output in their physical workload.

Tunisia’s disappointing World Cup

Certainly there was little enhanced about Tunisia’s performances at the World Cup, traipsing home home after three straight defeats to Sweden (5-1), Japan (4-0) and the Netherlands (3-1), finishing with a goal difference of -10 and no points to show for their efforts. After their opening defeat, manager Sabri Lamouchi was replaced by Herve Renard, but that had little impact on their subsequent performances.

Only Iraq (no points and a -11 goal difference) performed worse on paper than Tunisia, and it will be back to the drawing board for the Eagles of Carthage, who never looked up to the standard against three admittedly tricky opponents.