Mexican duo kicked out

Indiscipline and not doping was behind the expulsion of two Mexican players from the Confederations Cup, Franz Beckenbauer stated on Thursday.

Salvador Carmona and Aaron Galindo were kicked out of the competition by Mexico coach Ricardo Lavolpe on Tuesday, with rumours abounding that the duo had tested positive for nandrolone.

But Beckenbauer, head of Germany's 2006 World Cup committee, said he had been told by FIFA president Sepp Blatter that drug taking had nothing to do with the scandal.

"He (Blatter) assured me that this was purely a disciplinary matter and nothing to do with doping.

"And we've got no reason to question it."

Reports that the two defenders had taken the banned steroid emanated from two Mexican newspapers, El Universal and Reforma, which suggested the positive controls had been taken before the start of the Confed Cup.

This was strongly denied by Lavolpe, who said: "The journalists should be concerned with judging the sporting quality of our team. Everything else is only a matter for us.

"I don't ask you whether you've got marital problems at home?" he told a press conference.

The Argentina-born coach stressed that he had sent the players home for breaching the team's "code of conduct".

On Wednesday FIFA spokesman Markus Siegler dismissed the notion of positive tests.