FIFA has banned the North Korean women’s team from participating in the 2015 World Cup after five players tested positive for banned substances. FIFA tested the entire team after two defenders came up positive in a pregame check during the 2011 Women’s World Cup, held this summer in Germany. After the tournament, an additional three players were caught with a type of steroid extracted from musk deer glands. Four of the North Koreans received an 18-month ban from any soccer-related activity, and the fifth was banned for 14 months. FIFA banned the team’s doctor for six years. “We can really say with far-reaching confidence that these steroids were the result of this so-called Chinese traditional medicine,” said FIFA Chief Medical Officer Jiri Dvorak. The North Korea soccer federation received a fine of $400,000—the equivalent of the prize for their 13th place finish in this year’s competition.
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