Player of China's first soccer doping case banned for six months

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, February 04, 2004

Player of China's first soccer doping case banned for six months

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Zhang Shuai, who had been tested positive for a banned drug in China's first soccer doping case, was imposed a six-month suspension by the China Football Association (CFA), reported a Beijing-based newspaper on Feb. 4.

The Beijing Hyundai defender could have faced a ban of two to four years and a fine of up to 10,000 yuan (1,200 US dollars), but received a lesser punishment instead after CFA confirmed he had taken the drug unwittingly and the dose was little, said the Beijing Youth Daily.

Zhang, 22, who tested positive for ephedrine in a random test in the country's first division soccer league and failed the confirmation test last December, had already been banned by the club for three months and fined an equivalent of 6,000 US dollars.

Once a prospect for China's Olympic team, Zhang had told reporters that he felt "extremely repentant", and that he took flu medication before the game against Shanghai Shenhua when he was tested.

"I should have asked the doctor before taking the pills. But I never thought of the result after I took the drug test," said Zhang in a statement by CFA. The ban dated back to November 22, 2003, when Zhang was tested. He will be available for the third round of the inaugural Chinese premier league which is to start this May. The player is now in south China's Hainan with his club for winter training.

Source: Shanghai Daily

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