Fluminense rocked by new drug scandal

Rio de Janeiro, May 8 (IANS)

Fluminense striker Michael faces a two-year ban after testing positive for cocaine use, the football club confirmed.

The 20-year-old had a positive sample after his team’s 2-0 victory over Resende in the Campeonato Carioca April 6, reports Xinhua.

“This is the type of news that nobody wants to hear,” Fluminense’s executive director Rodrigo Caetano said Tuesday. “We will talk with our legal and medical departments to determine the treatment that Michael will receive.”

The Rio de Janeiro club has refrained from requesting a B sample. Michael’s case will be heard by a sports justice tribunal later this month, which could suspend the player for two years.

It is the second drug scandal to hit Fluminense in less than a week after former Portugal midfielder Deco tested positive to the banned diuretic Furosemide.

The 35-year-old has contracted his own legal team to argue that the result was due to contaminated vitamins.