By Andrew Warshaw
August 1 – Tahiti, the smallest nation ever to compete in a senior football tournament and composed almost entirely of amateurs, has been hit by a drugs scandal after FIFA announced one of its players tested positive at the recent Confederations Cup in Brazil.
The tiny country, which went into the tournament as champions of Oceania, captured the hearts of neutral fans around the world despite being outclassed by opponents. But an unnamed player has been provisionally suspended for 30 days after failing a test conducted following Tahiti’s final group-stage match on June 23 against Uruguay which they lost 8-0.
FIFA, which has not yet named the banned substance, said it opened disciplinary proceedings and invited the player to seek a full hearing. The player declined to ask for analysis of his back-up “B” sample. Both the player and the Tahitian Football Association have until August 15 to collect evidence and make a report.
The case takes much of the shine off Tahiti’s unlikely appearance at the eight-team World Cup warm-up tournament where they lost by a combined score of 24-1.
In a sport that rarely hits the news because of doping, this is the third case this year involving a FIFA match. Peru midfielder Joel Sanchez was banned for two years in March after testing positive for the stimulant methylhexaneamine after a World Cup qualifying match in Bolivia last October.
And just last week, the Jamaica football federation confirmed one of its players failed a test after a qualifier in Honduras in June.
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