Bulgarian banned

Bulgarian midfielder Ilia Gruev is likely to miss the World Cup finals in France next month after testing positive for a banned…

Bulgarian midfielder Ilia Gruev is likely to miss the World Cup finals in France next month after testing positive for a banned drug. Gruev, 29, who plays for Sofia club Neftohimik, tested positive for nortestosterone, a banned anabolic steroid. Gruev was tested on April 21st, a day before Bulgaria's World Cup warm-up match which they won 2-1 against Morocco. Anti-doping official Emil Miloshev said that Gruev would be immediately suspended for one month but faced the possibility of a two-year ban.