Romario gets 120 day ban for using hair loss drug

Dec 2007

Former Brazil striker Romario was banned for 120 days on Tuesday for a failed dope test which he blamed on a hair-loss treatment.

Brazilian football's disciplinary tribunal suspended the 1994 World Cup winner after the 41-year-old tested positive for the banned masking agent finasteride following a match for Vasco da Gama against Palmeiras in October.

Romario, who has played sporadically since scoring what he claimed to be his 1,000th goal in May, broke the news himself earlier this month in a news conference. He blamed a hair-loss product which he had been taking for some time.

Two days after making the announcement, Romario was named as Vasco's player-coach. He had intended to keep playing for the first few weeks of the 2008 season.

Romario was not present at the hearing where he was represented by Vasco's lawyers. Vasco doctor Rafael Blum told the tribunal he was unaware that Romario had been using the medication.

Finasteride was added to the list of banned substances in 2005 and has already claimed several victims. German second division soccer player Nemanja Vucicevic, of TSV Munich 1860, was banned for six months and Argentine tennis player Mariano Hood for one year after positive tests in 2005.

US skeleton gold medal hope Zach Lund was kicked out of the 2006 Winter Olympics and given a one-year ban by the CAS after testing positive at a World Cup event the previous year.

Former Australia international soccer player Stan Lazaridis last month completed a one-year ban.