Dutch captain De Boer tests positive

Frank de Boer, captain of the Dutch national team and his country's most capped international, tested positive for the banned substance nandrolone after a UEFA Cup quarter-final against Celta Vigo on March 15.

But the 30-year-old Barcelona defender, who has made 89 appearances for his country, protested his innocence on his official website icons.com.

"As you may have heard, I've recently tested positive after an initial test for nandrolone," said De Boer, in his third season with Barcelona after joining them from Ajax Amsterdam.

"I want to say this: I'm a professional athlete and I'd never knowingly use any illegal or banned drug under any circumstances. Let's be quite clear on that."

The player, who won the European Cup with Ajax in 1995, said he had a "totally clear conscience".

"I would put my hand in the fire to swear my innocence because I have never taken that substance," De Boer told a news conference.

"I am very surprised by the result because I know I am completely innocent.

"I had a doping test after the Celta Vigo match in the return leg of the UEFA Cup on March 15," De Boer said. "And afterwards I was informed that I gave a positive result.

"I produced a result of 8.6 (milligrams per litre of blood) on the test when the limit is two. I am not worried, though, because I have a totally clear conscience and I am now waiting for the second test."

BARCELONA SILENT
Barcelona said they would not make any official declaration on the case until the results of an obligatory second test were known.

But Boudewijn Zenden, one of De Boer's Dutch team mates at Barcelona, said he had "complete confidence" in the defender's innocence.

"I am extremely surprised because he is a person who has never taken anything strange. I would like to know what the real cause of the problem is because no one seems to know where it comes from," the midfielder told reporters.

Fellow Dutch international Edgar Davids, who plays for Juventus in Italy, has also denied using an illegal substance after testing positive for nandrolone on March 4, just four days after his country's friendly against Turkey.

De Boer also played against the Turks in Amsterdam and he hinted that the fact that both players had given positive results in recent weeks may have something to do with them coinciding in that game.

"I did have to eat something while I was playing for the Netherlands, but I am not saying that it was the fault of the national side. We are going to investigate all the possibilities both here at Barcelona and in the national side.

JOINT EFFORT
"I have spoken with Edgar (Davids) and we will look for a solution together, although we still haven't found an answer yet.

"We are both players that have never taken anything strange in our lives. I've never even smoked a cigarette," said De Boer.

"I never use and will never use any type of drug or banned steroids but I can't check all my foods and drinks. Even though I'm always very conscientious about what I eat and drink, it's impossible to check everything.

"I know that one's own body can produce a certain amount of nandrolone but I don't know if that's what happened here. Basically, I don't know how it came into my bloodstream."

De Boer said he had been informed of the test result by club doctors after Barcelona's league game against Espanyol on Saturday.

"I was told after the Espanyol match and I thought it was a joke, but unfortunately it wasn't. Now I am going to look for a way of resolving the matter."

He added, on his website, that he hoped the matter would be resolved quickly.

"There will be a second test very soon and I sincerely hope that will clear the whole matter up and prove my innocence. This has been very upsetting for me but I'm determined to show that I've done nothing wrong."