Curse of nandrolone strikes cross-channel

A PROFESSIONAL footballer has tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone for the first time in England.

The FA are investigating the positive test, which occurred within the last three months, and are keeping secret the identity of the player until the

inquiry has been completed. The FA are refusing to reveal even the division he plays in or whether he is British.

The finding of 19-norandrosterone, a metabolite of nandrolone, was brought to light in UK Sport's quarterly

anti-doping report published yesterday.

The FA are treading cautiously as positive nandrolone tests have been a source of huge controversy.

The human body is thought to produce minute amounts of the substance naturally and several leading sports stars have not been punished for positive tests. Some scientific experts believe that some dietary supplements are contaminated with the steroid.

In Britain, sprinters Linford Christie and Dougie Walker and hurdler Gary Cadogan have all tested positive but were subsequently cleared by UK Athletics, who claimed there were not enough concrete facts concerning nandrolone to convict the trio of being drugs cheats.

On the continent, however, several footballers have been banned, including last year the Dutch international Jaap Stam just weeks after his transfer from Manchester United to Italian club Lazio.

As well as Stam, fellow Dutch internationals Frank de Boer and Edgar Davids, Portugal's Fernando Couto and Spain's Josep Guardiola were banned.

Earlier this year, the FA sent every club and every player warnings about the use of contaminated dietary supplements. World governing body FIFA has also told all national associations to pass on warnings after the rash of positive tests.

UK Sport's figures showed 98.6% of tests between April and September this year produced negative results. A total of 4,116 tests were carried out during the period, including 978 at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester the largest testing programme at an event in the UK.

The tests conducted by UK Sport the body which manages the UK's

anti-doping programme - found that 57 samples needed reporting for further investigation. Of these, 25 were for stimulants, of which most were for substances confirmed as permitted medications, 19 were for anabolic agents and nine were for a refusal to take a test.