Tunisia’s World Cup campaign unravelled on the pitch with three heavy defeats, but the aftershocks are only now being felt after doping tests on eight of their players returned traces of the banned substance clenbuterol. British press reports, citing sources close to the investigation, indicate the findings are almost certainly the result of food contamination rather than deliberate doping. The players’ samples, taken during the group stage, showed concentrations below the threshold that triggers an automatic sanction, and the inquiry is now focused on a restaurant in Monterrey, where the squad was based.

Under protocols adopted by the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2022, such low-level findings are classified as Atypical Findings and trigger an investigation rather than an immediate charge. The approach was shaped by a notorious precedent: during the 2011 Concacaf Gold Cup, five Mexico players tested positive for clenbuterol but were exonerated after it emerged they had eaten contaminated meat. Later that year, at the Under-17 World Cup in Mexico, 109 players from 19 teams showed traces of the same substance; FIFA found clenbuterol in roughly 30 per cent of meat samples taken from team hotels and declined to impose any sanctions. Viewed from European anti-doping circles, the current case fits a well-worn pattern, and the expectation in London and elsewhere is that the Tunisian players will not face bans if contamination is confirmed.

The doping revelations compound a miserable tournament for Tunisia. They lost 5-1 to Sweden, 4-0 to Japan and 3-1 to the Netherlands, finishing bottom of their group. Head coach Sabri Lamouchi was dismissed after the opening defeat, becoming the first manager in World Cup history to be sacked after a single match at the finals. His replacement, Hervé Renard, could not reverse the slide, and the team’s early exit was already sealed before the doping story broke.

The episode has prompted a swift response from other delegations. England, who face a last-16 tie in Mexico City, have reinforced their food protocols and will travel with their own team of chefs to control sourcing and preparation. The move mirrors precautions taken by the Mexico side in 2011, which avoided the clenbuterol scandal by sticking to a diet of fish and vegetables. Neither FIFA nor the Tunisian football federation has issued a public comment, but the players’ clubs have been informed and are monitoring the investigation.

With the inquiry ongoing, the immediate sporting consequence is a heightened alert over food safety for the remaining teams in Mexico. The laboratory and traceability work will determine whether the clenbuterol entered the players’ systems through contaminated beef, as all early indications suggest. For Tunisia, the episode adds a postscript to a World Cup that was already over, while for the tournament organisers it revives a long-standing headache that refuses to go away.