2nd dope test for Mehra today
The fate of Mumbai FC midfielder Nishant Mehra, 27, hinges on the outcome of a second dope test to be conducted in New Delhi on Thursday. If the B sample too tests positive, the player could be banned from football for two years.
The fate of Mumbai FC midfielder Nishant Mehra, 27, hinges on the outcome of a second dope test to be conducted in New Delhi on Thursday. If the B sample too tests positive, the player could be banned from football for two years.
"We were conveyed the official message by the AIFF (All India Football Federation) today, and have been asked to accompany Mehra to Delhi tomorrow (Thursday)," said Henry Picardo, the Mumbai FC manager. Mehra, a regular in the starting 11 refused to comment. He was among those randomly chosen for an A sample test in Pune on January 22. That was the first time dope testing was done in four editions of the I-League.
"The AIFF is taking the matter seriously. We have a strict anti-doping policy and if his B-sample is positive, he will be banned for two seasons," said general secretary Kushal Das.
Though no official information was available on the type of substance used, a source in the AIFF said Mehra tested positive for Tetra-Hydro Cannabinol (THC).