Tuesday, November 4, 2014

4 November 2001 - Pep Gets Off To A Positive Start In Italy

On 4 November 2001, Brescia lost away to Lazio, 5-0, in a Serie A league match. Adding insult to injury, Brescia's star Spanish midfielder Josep "Pep" Guardiola tested positive after the match for the steroid nandrolone and received a four-month ban.

Guardiola, who had moved to Brescia from Barcelona the previous month, had also tested positive for nandrolone after a match against Piacenza on 21 October. On both occasions, he denied having intentionally taken any prohibited substances, suggesting that nutritional supplements may have led to the test results. The ban remained in place, however, and started on 22 November for all club and international matches.

On 29 September 2009, almost eight years from the dates of the positive tests, Guardiola was finally cleared of all charges.

He managed Barcelona from 2008 to 2012, winning three league titles and two Champions League trophies. In 2013, he took charge of Bayern Munich, winning the league in his first season there.

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