Filed under: Manchester City, Football
With all the flamboyancy and noise now associated with Manchester City, Kolo Toure is one of the quiet ones who commanded respect for the way he lived his life on and off the pitch.His lifestyle has never been questioned.
And there were no controversial comments when he lost the captaincy to Carlos Tevez, even when he had every right to vent his anger.
Simply, he has been the image of a model pro and a very good footballer to boot.
So the revelation that Toure has been suspended after testing positive for a specified substance has come as a major shock - for the player, his club and supporters across the land.
Now Toure, a practising Muslim, will know failing this routine drugs test will raise question marks over the rest of his career at Eastlands.
His season is over and you don't know how much longer the Ivory Coast international will be consigned to the sidelines having been automatically suspended by his club.
It appears that an 'A' sample reading, believed to have been provided by Toure even though he was a non-playing substitute following last month's Manchester derby, had proved positive.
The £16million defender can now opt to have his 'B' sample, taken in the same drugs test, analysed in a bid to prove his innocence and clear his name that has been tarnished.
There have been reports that a dietary substance was the banned stimulant found in his body.
But even though that might point to an unwitting or relatively innocuous infringement of the rules, that may still not be enough to save the ex-Arsenal favourite.
Because how long Toure is banned for now, should he be found guilty, is down to the substance involved, the explanation for how it was in his body and any mitigating circumstances.
The 29-year-old may contest the reading, claiming legitimate therapies such as a cold cure or a dietary substance, was behind the positive test.
Yet the punishment, according to the World Anti-Doping Agency, could still be as severe as a two-year ban.
The most recent precedent for cases of this type is Paddy Kenny.
The former Sheffield United goalkeeper, who is now with QPR, who was banned for nine months in September 2009 after testing positive for ephedrine.
The Football Association chose not to clampdown on Kenny to the full extent after admitting he had not deliberately sought to enhance performance when purchasing the over-the-counter cold remedy.
Then there was Hamilton midfielder's Simon Mensing, was issued with a month-long suspension after testing positive for another prohibited substance, methylhexaneamine, in December.
Mensing claimed he had taken a contaminated dietary supplement and provided credible evidence to support his case.
The SFA clearly took that information on board when handing him the short suspension.
Whatever timescale there is now for Toure, it's certainly a crushing blow to Manchester City.
The pillar of Roberto Mancini's side, he leaves a hole in their defence as their increasingly stretched squad fight on three fronts.
With the FA Cup and the Europa League in their sights, as well as being well placed to secure a top-four berth in the Premier League, this is a big end of season for the mega-rich club.
Only Toure, who earns around £120,000-a-week, won't be part of their challenge this time around.
And you have to wonder now if he ever will again.
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Source: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/03/04/drugs-ban-cast-doubts-over-kolo-toures-manchester-city-future/
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