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Abel Xavier, Middlesbrough’s Portuguese defender, has failed a drug test and been suspended from all football by FIFA, football’s world governing body. Xavier’s urine sample after Bore’s UEFA Cup tie in Xanthi, Greece, was found to be positive. Xavier is protesting his innocence to the club. Xavier is believed to have been taking a supplement to treat a virus.
    For the time being Middlesbrough are standing by Xavier, though they are making no public statements, but a further test will now follow on Xavier’s sample and, if that is found to be positive, then the defender, who turns 33 next month, may be banned for a sufficient period that his career is effectively over. UEFA is overseeing the investigation as the test was taken after a game under its command and the relevant committee is due to meet and report next Monday.
    Boro would confirm only that Xavier had failed one test. A UEFA spokesman said: "The next step would be to examine the B sample. If that was positive, he would face sanctions laid out in the protocol passed between FIFA and WADA(World Anti-Doping Agency)."
    In English football there is no example of a player being found to have taken performing-enhancing drugs, although Edgar Davids, now of Tottenham, was banned four years ago for eight months having been found with nandrolone in his system while at Juventus. The ban was cut to four months on appeal. Shortly after Jaap Sram left Old Trafford he was banned for three months and fined $50, 000 for testing positive for nandrolone. Rio Ferdinand was suspended for eight months at Manchester United for missing a drugs test.