Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz has been hit with a six-month suspension, keeping him away from the team’s first four Euro 2012 qualifiers.
The former Manchester United manager has received the ban after it was ruled that he disrupted an anti-doping test as his side prepared for the World Cup in May.
Portugal’s Sports Institute found that the manager had insulted members of an anti-doping team and that the aggressive manner he showed disrupted their work. None of the players they tested turned up positive results for anything out of line.
The Portuguese Football Federation had previously dished Queiroz with a one-month ban for misconduct because of the incident, but argued that despite using foul language at the testers their man had not upset proceedings.
But the Institute have added to that after it was agreed that Queiroz's intimidating behaviour had caused unease among the anti-doping team and subsequently one of them failed to correctly carry out a test.
Queiroz and the PFF are both yet to comment on the ruling but the manager has previously denied the charge, though did say the early morning nature of the tests at his side’s training camp disturbed his players and this had led to his foul language.
If the ban is maintained, then Queiroz will miss games against Cyprus, Norway, Denmark and Iceland, with his assistant Agostinho Oliveira in charge for the former two which take place in the next week.
Portugal crashed out of the World Cup at the last 16 stage, losing 1-0 to eventual winners Spain. They scored in just one of their four games in South Africa, beating North Korea 7-0 in between scoreless group stage draws with the Ivory Coast and Brazil.