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India goalkeeper Subrata Paul has tested positive for a banned substance, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said on Tuesday. The footballer is staring at career-threatening four-year ban but has vowed to prove himself innocent by going for the confirmatory 'B' sample test.
All India Football Federation General Secretary Kushal Das said Paul, an Arjuna Awardee, flunked an out-of-competition test last month.
He added:
Under WADA rules, the National Anti-Doping Agency will have to inform the player as well as the federation about the dope result. The player has the right to request for a confirmatory 'B' sample test. He will be put under provisional suspension pending his 'B' sample test.
National Anti-Doping Agency chief Navin Agarwal confirmed the former India captain was tested by NADA officials in March but declined to elaborate further.
Under new WADA rules, a first-time dope offender will serve a maximum period of four-years.
The 30-year-old Paul said he will go for the 'B' sample test and claimed that he will prove his innocence.
He added:
Paul, who made his India debut in 2007 and went onto represent the country 64 times till 2015, said he has achieved most of whatever he had set out for in his career. And there is no reason for him to do cheat and risk tarnishing his reputation.
Paul, from West Bengal, played a major role in India winning the Nehru Cup international tournament in 2007 and 2009.
Paul's performances were also instrumental in India winning the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup in Hyderabad, which led to the qualification for the AFC Asian Cup held in Doha in 2011.
The 30-year-old was India's number one choice under the bar before slipping down the pecking order, behind Norway-based Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, in recent times.
Paul was part of the Indian squad which played against Cambodia in an international friendly (March 22) and against Myanmar (March 28) for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, but did not make it to the playing eleven.
He played for NorthEast United in the 2016 Indian Super League season and he is currently playing for DSK Shivajians in the I-League. He was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2016.
(With inputs from PTI and Reuters.)
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