Monday 20 July 2009, 11:21

CAS upholds Oliveira's doping ban

On 10 July 2009, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne upheld FIFA's decision to ban Italian footballer Carlos Morgado Oliveira for two years.

Morgado tested positive for norandrosterone and noretiocholanolone - both metabolites of the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone - at the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2008 and subsequently received a two-year ban from FIFA's disciplinary bodies. Both substances appear on the list of prohibited substances published by FIFA and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

A player is adjudged to have violated the anti-doping regulations when traces of nandrolone exceeding a specified limit are discovered in his body. The "B" sample also confirmed the results of the first analysis. According to FIFA's regulations, it is the responsibility of each player to ensure that no prohibited substances enter his body.

Morgado lodged an appeal with CAS against the two-year ban handed down by the FIFA Appeal Committee. However, CAS rejected the appeal as unfounded and upheld FIFA's decision. The ban applies to all types of matches, including league matches, friendlies and international matches. This was the fourth case of doping at a FIFA final competition since 1994.