NEW DELHI, April 25: Acclaimed Indian goalkeeper Subrata Paul was today provisionally suspended after failing a dope test but has vowed to prove himself innocent by going for the confirmatory �B� sample test.
All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Kushal Das said Paul, an Arjuna Awardee, flunked an out-of- competition test last month. Paul is faced with the prospect of a four-year ban.
�The banned substance is terbutaline. According to the NADA letter to AIFF, Subrata is under provisional suspension,� Das told PTI.
Terbutaline is a bronchodilator and is taken when people have trouble breathing or a medical condition such as asthma.
It is also present in commonly-used expectorants administered for cough and cold. But, athletes must apply for a TUE (Therapeutic Use Exemptions) certificate if they want to use asthma-related drugs.
According to WADA, terbutaline is placed in the category of �beta-2 agonists�, which is prohibited at all times (in competition and out-of-competition)
Asked if Paul can still play for his club DSK Shivajians in their last I-League fixture at home against Minerva Punjab on April 30, Das said, �He can apply for a B sample test as well as simultaneously appeal for the lifting of this provisional suspension. � PTI
