Former Barcelona midfielder Josef Guardiola has tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone after a routine test at his current Italian club Brescia, the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) said today.
Guardiola, nicknamed 'Pep', who joined the Italian first division club from Barcelona in September, tested positive after the league match with Piacenza on October 21st.
This case comes days after Lazio's Dutch international defender Jaap Stam also tested positive for nandrolone. The former Manchester United player has been suspended pending a second test.
Other high-profile players to test positive for nandrolone include Barcelona's Dutch international Frank De Boer, whose one-year suspension was reduced in July after he claimed he had taken it unknowingly and that it could have been contained in a supplement supplied by club doctors.
De Boer's compatriot Edgar Davids returned a positive test but his band was later reduced as he claimed it came from a cold remedy while several others playing in Serie A have also failed tests.
AFP