Sassuolo defender Francesco Acerbi has been suspended by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) after testing positive for the banned substance Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG).
The hormone is used in the treatment of testicular cancer for which Acerbi underwent surgery in July, however according to the national anti-doping tribunal (TNA) the 25-year-old does not have a Theraputic Use Exemption (TUE) to take the substance.
CONI confirmed the suspension in a statement on their official website.
“CONI announces that it has received from the anti-doping laboratory of Rome a communication of adverse outcome for the substance Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) on the athlete Francesco Acerbi (affiliated FIGC), the result of the doping control carried out at the end of the Serie A match between Cagliari and Sassuolo on 1st December 2013,” the statement read.
“The Office of the Prosecutor of Anti-Doping verified that there are no therapeutic exemptions granted by the competent national and international organizations for the substance detected, and notified the athlete – who had to act – of the predicted adverse outcome.
“The First Chamber of the TNA has accepted the application for suspension proposed by the Office of the Prosecutor of the CONI Anti-Doping.”
Follow Allan Eccles on Twitter: @bookedforsimu
