Former Italy midfielder Jonathan Bachini was been banned for life by the Italian Football League's disciplinary committee on Wednesday after he twice tested positive for cocaine.

The 30-year-old, who made 13 top-flight appearances for Juventus between 1999 and 2001, was sacked by Siena after failing a drugs test at the end of a Serie A match against Lazio in December last year.

He had previously served a one-year ban for testing positive for cocaine while playing with Brescia in September 2004. He previously played for Udinese and made two appearances for the national team in the late 1990s.

Bachini's lawyer, Paolo Rodella, said he intended to appeal against the ban.

"This is only the initial sentence. We will have to see what motivated it before making further comment. Then we will go to the court of appeal", Rodella was quoted as saying on La Gazzetta dello Sport's website.

Source: Xinhua