Kolo Toure suspended after failing drugs test

Manchester City star Kolo Toure has been suspended after testing positive for a "specified substance". Traces of the as yet unnamed substance were found in the Ivorian defender’s A sample, apparently provided after City’s 1-0 defeat by Manchester United on February 12 when Toure was a non-playing substitute.

Late on Thursday night the Citizens released a statement: "Manchester City confirm that the FA [Football Association] has informed Kolo Toure that an 'A-sample' provided by him has tested positive for a specified substance. As result of this, he has been suspended from participating in all first team and non-first team matches pending the outcome of the legal process. There will be no further comment from the football club at this stage."

The Football Association released a terse statement of their own following the revelation, saying: "The FA can confirm that a player has been provisionally suspended from playing pending investigation, having tested positive for the use of a prohibited substance."
 
Apparently the news was disclosed to City on Wednesday prior to their FA Cup fifth-round tie with Aston Villa and the club, in compliance with FA rules, were obliged to omit Toure from the squad. The 29-year-old will be unavailable for selection pending an investigation and it is likely that Toure's first course of action will be to request a B sample. If this also reveals traces of the specified substance, Toure will almost certainly be banned.

The World Anti-Doping Agency’s definition of a "specified substance" is one that is "more susceptible to a credible, non-doping explanation" and punishments for such an offence range from a warning to a two-year ban.

Reports on Friday suggested the substance was one that is found in dietary supplements.

Footballers who have tested positive for specified substances recently include Hamilton Academicals midfielder Simon Mensing, who served a four-week ban after revealing traces of stimulant methylhexaneamine in January. The UK Anti-Doping accepted Mensing's claim that he had inadvertently ingested the substance while taking a dietary supplement.

Regardless of the outcome of the investigation, Toure's suspension caps a dreadful week for British football in which at times the sport has appeared out of control.

First there was the revelation that Chelsea and England defender Ashley Cole had shot a student with an air rifle at the club's training ground. Then came Alex Ferguson's tirade against a match official following Manchester United’s 2-1 defeat against Chelsea. The United boss questioned referee Martin Atkinson’s partiality and has since been charged by the FA with improper conduct.

Finally there were the scenes at Celtic Park on Wednesday when three Rangers players were sent off and Celtic manager Neil Lennon and Rangers assistant boss Ally McCoist squared up to each other on the touchline. So much for the Beautiful Game. ·