News broke on Thursday [+] that the Romania international had tested positive for traces of sibutramine, an anti-obesity drug, after a 2-1 Serie A win against Bari on 10 January.But fresh details from CONI has revealed Mutu also had the same substance in his system during the Viola's 3-2 Coppa Italia quarter-final win over Lazio ten days later.
Italy's National Anti-doping Tribunal (TNA) have provisionally suspended the 31-year-old following his latest drugs misuse and the former Parma and Juventus player faces the prospect of a ban up to four years, as stipulated by the code set out by the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA).
"Given the request from the anti-doping prosecutors' department for the athlete Adrian Mutu's suspension, the National Anti-doping Tribunal (TNA) has suspended the athlete," read a statement from CONI.
Mutu played a big part in both games as he scored the equalising goal against Bari and then helped his side reach the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia by scoring a brace against Lazio.
Fiorentina insist they had nothing to do with the administration of the banned substance but have stood by the striker with the club's sporting director Pantaleo Corvino telling Sky Sport 24: "It's a situation that leaves us astonished, but we believe in the player's good faith."
Mutu was banned for seven months by the English Football Association (FA) in November 2004, a suspension extended worldwide by world football's governing body FIFA, after testing positive for cocaine during his time at Chelsea, who sacked the player.
The 31-year-old is appealing against an order to pay the English Premier League club 17 million euros in damages.
Source: Reuters
No comments:
Post a Comment