The five players on Mexico's Gold Cup roster who tested positive for clenbuterol were re-tested last Friday, and all five had their tests come up negative for the banned substance.
The Associated Press reports that, according to a statement released by the Mexican Football Federation, Guillermo Ochoa, Francisco Rodriguez, Sinha, Edgar Duenas and Christian Bermudez have asked that a "B" test of the initial positive sample, taken on May 21, be conducted.
Mexico has not been able to replace the suspended players — who claimed that the positive test was triggered by contaminated meat — and went through the final two games of the group stage with 17 men, winning Group A with ease and a tournament-best +13 goal differential. It remains to be seen whether Mexico will be able to call in new reinforcements for the knockout stage, as CONCACAF and the Mexican federation continue the investigation into the tests.
Here are a few more stories from around the soccer world:
KLINSMANN, DUNGA ON ALGERIA SHORTLIST
The Algeria men's national team is seeking a replacement for head coach Abdelhak Benchikha, and according to reports out of Algeria, Jurgen Klinsmann and Dunga are among the five candidates on the shortlist for the position.
Klinsmann, the former Germany coach who was pursued by the U.S. Soccer Federation after the World Cup, is currently serving as a consultant to Toronto FC. Dunga was axed by Brazil after the nation's disappointing showing at last summer's World Cup.
Another candidate on the shortlist is said to be former Ivory Coast boss Vahid Halilhodzic. Reports that mercurial former France coach Raymond Domenech is also a candidate have been denied by the Algerian Football Federation.
NUNO GOMES LEAVES BENFICA
After playing for 12 seasons over 14 years at Benfica, veteran Portuguese striker Nuno Gomes is seeking other options.
The player, who has been linked to MLS — New England specifically — in the past, has elected not to renew his contract.
Nuno Gomes, 34, made only seven appearances for the Portuguese power this past season, scoring five goals. He tallied more than 100 times since joining the club in 1997, and was with Benfica for all but two seasons in that time. He spent a couple of campaigns with Fiorentina in Italy before returning to Benfica in 2002 and is currently a free agent, though reports from Portugal suggest he may move to Sporting Braga.
WORLD CUP QUALIFYING STARTS TONIGHT
The road to Rio officially begins this evening.
Belize and Montserrat will commence 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying in Trinidad, with the two vying for a place deeper in CONCACAF's qualifying bracket. The second leg of their qualifying tie will be held on Sunday. Wednesday's qualifier is the first of 832 that will take place between now and the months leading up to the 2014 tournament in Brazil.
Belize, meanwhile, is facing possible FIFA sanctions over government interference.
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Do you think Mexico should be able to call in new players? What do the recent negative tests mean to you? Could you see Klinsmann or Dunga coaching Algeria? Do you think Nuno Gomes would be an ideal fit for a striker-needy team in MLS? How far do you see Belize or Montserrat going in qualifying?
Share your thoughts below.
On second thought, I will give Klinsmann more than 6 months to turn Toronto FC around, but so far I am unimpressed!
Nonsense, Klinsmann claims he walked away from germany, but that is far from clear. Klinsmann did little to develop german soccer, he acually spent most of the pre 2006 world cup time being castigated by the german press for being absent in California.
It is hard to see he had much to do with Germnan soccer other than to possibly (and only possibly) set forth an agenda. If the results at Toronto FC are any indication of the guaranteed results of his agenda descriptions, well, I’ll take a pass on it.