Kerala footballer M Viknesh's appeal challenging a two-year ban, imposed on him by disciplinary committee of the NADA for failing a dope test, has been rejected by the appeal panel in a rare doping case relating to the 'beautiful game' in the country. (More Football News)
Viknesh was handed a two-year ban by the NADA Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel starting from November 12, 2022 after his dope sample collected during the National Games in Gujarat in September-October 2022 was found to contain banned 'Terbutaline', a common substance found in cough syrup.
In an order passed on December 2, the appeal panel of the NADA upheld the disciplinary committee's decision but changed the date of its operation.
The appeal panel of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) held that Viknesh's two-year ban will start from April 5, 2023, the date of decision of the disciplinary committee as the Kerala footballer was not provisionally suspended after he failed the dope test.
Very few footballers have been handed bans by the NADA panels for failing dope tests in the history of the sport in the country.
East Bengal defender Arun Malhotra was found positive for a banned substance in a test conducted before the national team's departure for the 2022 Busan Asian Games. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) slapped Malhotra a ban of 60 days. NADA was non existent then as it was established in 2009.
Mumbai FC player Nishant Mehra had failed a dope test conducted after an I-League match in 2011 and was handed a two-year ban by the NADA. He was the first Indian footballer to be banned by the NADA for doping.
Another Mumbai FC player Dane Pereira was banned for one year after testing positive for an anabolic steroid.
In 2017, former India goalkeeper Subrata Paul was let off with a warning after he tested positive for banned Terbutaline. He was able to prove before the disciplinary panel of the NADA that he had taken a banned drug unintentionally.
Viknesh had submitted that on account of fever and cough he consulted a doctor who prescribed Ascoril syrup which "contained the prohibited substance". He submitted that he was completely unaware that the said syrup contained prohibited substance and that was why he did not mention any medical prescription in the doping control form.
Viknesh also relied upon the case of Subrata Paul but the NADA appeal panel said "the appellant has neither filed any copy of the decision nor media report or
provided any citation/date of the decision ..."
"We are of the considered opinion that the Appellant has committed an ADRV
(Anti-Doping Rule Violation) ... Therefore, the Order dated 05.04.2023 ... passed by Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel is upheld and the Appellant shall undergo ineligibility period of two (2) years from the decision of Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel which is 05.04.2023," the appeal panel of the NADA headed by Abhinav Mukerji ruled.
