World football governing body FIFA has imposed an 18-month ban on Ivory Coast international goalkeeper Sylvian Gbohouo for using a banned substance thought to be performance enhancing, APA can report on Monday.
Gbohouo tested positive for the substance trimetazidine (which is included in the WADA Prohibited List 2021 (under the S4.4 Metabolic Modulators class) following a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifying match played on 16 November 2021.
“As a result of the presence of the prohibited substance in his sample, the player was found to be in violation of article 6 of the FIFA Anti-Doping Regulations as read in conjunction with article 17 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code” the FIFA disciplinary committee said in a statement to APA.
The 33-year-old who plays club football with Wolkite in the Ethiopian top flight has been Ivory Coast’s first choice keeper in recent outings including a crucial World Cup playoff with Cameroon in November last year.
The Elephants lost 1-nil away to the Indomitable Lions for the playoff with Algeria.
The player’s suspension begins on 23 December 2021, the date on which he was provisionally suspended by the FIFA disciplinary committee over a doping offense.
This means Gbohouo\s ban will cover “all types of matches, including domestic, international, friendly and official fixtures.
WN/as/APA