Manchester City vice-captain Kolo Touré could face a ban of up to two years after failing a routine drugs test.
The former Arsenal defender has been suspended by the club with immediate effect as an A sample he provided contained a "specified substance", a term which is classified by the World Anti-Doping Agency as one "more susceptible to a credible, non-doping explanation".
The positive result of Touré's A sample, provided following the Manchester derby against Manchester United at Old Trafford on February 12 when the player was a non-playing substitute, has led to a widespread sense of surprise within the game.
Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, who signed Touré for the Gunners from ASEC Abidjan in 2002, said: "I have spoken to Kolo. Of course, he is shocked by the situation.
"He wanted to lose weight a little bit and his wife was on a diet and that's when he took this product.
"I think it is a mistake. Kolo was not cautious enough. I don't think there's a desire there to do something wrong and hide it.
"It is a complete surprise because I had Kolo Touré here for years, I brought him here.
"He is a boy who has a clean life. He's very honest living, always at home, a family man, and I don't suspect him at all to have taken drugs to enhance his performances.
"I just think it is a mistake by forgetting to ask, 'Can I take that or not?'."
The 29-year-old, who earns £120,000 a week, is now likely to request a B-sample is also tested and will be praying it puts him in the clear.
"I like Kolo as a guy. He is a very religious guy and is very professional. He leads his life in the right way," former City chief Mark Hughes added.
"Hopefully it will be resolved and he will be able to continue his career. Let's hope he has just made an honest mistake and we can all move on."
But Touré could still be clobbered with a lengthy ban from football and that places a huge question mark over his Eastlands career.
Australian cricketer Shane Warne was banned for a year in 2003 after he tested for a banned diuretic that he said was contained in one of his grandmother's diet pills.
But Hamilton midfielder Simon Mensing was was suspended for for just a month after testing positive for the stimulant methylhexaneamine which commonly found in dietary supplements - a fact that may help Touré's cause in salvaging his career.
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| Manchester City defender Kolo Touré has been suspended after failing a doping test Photo: AP |
The former Arsenal defender has been suspended by the club with immediate effect as an A sample he provided contained a "specified substance", a term which is classified by the World Anti-Doping Agency as one "more susceptible to a credible, non-doping explanation".
The positive result of Touré's A sample, provided following the Manchester derby against Manchester United at Old Trafford on February 12 when the player was a non-playing substitute, has led to a widespread sense of surprise within the game.
Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, who signed Touré for the Gunners from ASEC Abidjan in 2002, said: "I have spoken to Kolo. Of course, he is shocked by the situation.
"He wanted to lose weight a little bit and his wife was on a diet and that's when he took this product.
"I think it is a mistake. Kolo was not cautious enough. I don't think there's a desire there to do something wrong and hide it.
"It is a complete surprise because I had Kolo Touré here for years, I brought him here.
"He is a boy who has a clean life. He's very honest living, always at home, a family man, and I don't suspect him at all to have taken drugs to enhance his performances.
"I just think it is a mistake by forgetting to ask, 'Can I take that or not?'."
The 29-year-old, who earns £120,000 a week, is now likely to request a B-sample is also tested and will be praying it puts him in the clear.
"I like Kolo as a guy. He is a very religious guy and is very professional. He leads his life in the right way," former City chief Mark Hughes added.
"Hopefully it will be resolved and he will be able to continue his career. Let's hope he has just made an honest mistake and we can all move on."
But Touré could still be clobbered with a lengthy ban from football and that places a huge question mark over his Eastlands career.
Australian cricketer Shane Warne was banned for a year in 2003 after he tested for a banned diuretic that he said was contained in one of his grandmother's diet pills.
But Hamilton midfielder Simon Mensing was was suspended for for just a month after testing positive for the stimulant methylhexaneamine which commonly found in dietary supplements - a fact that may help Touré's cause in salvaging his career.
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