Football
Tom Marshall, Mexico correspondent 4y

Chivas release Mexico star Victor Guzman after anti-doping test result

MEXICO CITY -- Liga MX club Chivas have released Mexico international Victor Guzman on the same day that the league said he had an "adverse analytic result" to an anti-doping test.

The Guadalajara giants said in a statement on Monday that Guzman, who joined from fellow Mexican side Pachuca last month in a high profile transfer, has been dismissed.

"Due to the events related to Victor Guzman, who was a fundamental addition in face of the Clausura 2020 touranment and a key piece for our current sporting project, the player will no longer form part of our squad," the club said. 

Chivas also said that the transfer -- which was reported to be $10 million USD -- will be annulled and Guzman will return to Pachuca. Chivas are expected to demand the full fee although in reality only a percentage of that figure would likely have been paid so far.

Sources told ESPN that the test revealed a prohibited substance of "social use." The test ocurred on Aug. 10, 2019, when Guzman was part of Pachuca.

Guzman posted a statement on his Instagram account saying that he has never taken any banned substance and that he has "always been a player who has rejected any anti-sporting practice and who has manifested my total support in the anti-doping fight."

The 24-year-old was set to make his Liga MX debut for Chivas last weekend, but was pulled out of the squad for Saturday's game against FC Juarez when the club learned of the test result.

Guzman traveled to Mexico City on Monday morning accompanied by Chivas legal director Arturo Galvez to meet with the Mexican football federation, where he later learned his fate with the club.

The Guadalajara native won the 2016 Clausura title with Pachuca, as well as the 2017 CONCACAF Champions League. Guzman also played for Mexico at the 2016 Rio Olympics and has six full El Tri caps, the latest of which came in March 2019.

The attacking midfielder had previously been linked with a move to Europe.

Information from ESPN Mexico's Mauricio Ymay, Jose Maria Garrido and Rene Tovar was used in this report.

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