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JEDDAH: Al-Ittihad and Saudi national team standout Fahad Al-Mowallad faces a one-year ban from local and international competitions after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
Al-Ittihad received a notice three days ago from the Saudi Doping Commission that the test on its prize striker returned positive for phenethylamine, a banned substance.
The commission conducted the test on April 27 after the Saudi Professional League match against Al-Nassr, which Al-Ittihad won 3-2.
Prior to last month’s test, Al-Mowallad underwent five drug tests this season, which he passed. A decision will be handed down after a hearing on Thursday.
Reports said Al-Mowallad’s massage therapist gave him the drug to relieve muscle pain. It is not clear whether the therapist was under the employ of Al-Ittihad.
Another player, Faisal Masrahi, a goalkeeper for Qadisia, was handed a one-year ban by the Saudi Football Federation for a similar offense. He was tested on Feb. 19 after a league match.
Two samples were taken to the World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory in Lausanne, Switzerland. One of the samples returned positive for a banned substance, which Masrahi did not contest.
Meanwhile, the Saudi Professional League concludes on Thursday with Nassr set to win the championship crown with a match against Al-Batin. Nassr sits on top of the league table on 67 points with Al-Hilal, which plays Al-Shabab on the same day, trailing by one point on 66.
Shabab is a distant third on 54 points. Batin, which has been relegated to the second tier of the Saudi football league, is on 25 points.