Soccer-Mexican striker Nava banned for eight months for doping

MEXICO CITY, March 5 (Reuters) - Striker Julio Cesar Nava of first division Chiapas has been suspended for eight months for doping, the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) said on Thursday. The FMF found the former Mexico Under-23 international guilty of using the banned steroid Betamethasone which has anti-inflammatory properties and is often used to treat skin irritations and allergies. "(Nava) cannot take part in any competition or activity authorised or organised by the FMF from the date he was notified of his provisional suspension on December 27, 2014 until August 27, 2015," the organisation said in a statement. The FMF added it had opened an investigation to determine what responsibility team doctors Juan Manuel Mejia and Ariel Rojas had in the 25-year-old Nava's case. (Reporting by Carlos Calvo, writing by Rex Gowar, editing by Tony Jimenez)