SOCCER:MANCHESTER CITY have suspended Kolo Toure after he became the first footballer at a Premier League club to fail a drugs test since Adrian Mutu in 2004.

Toure tested positive for a “specified substance” in a routine examination and City acted quickly after being informed by the English FA that the former Arsenal defender is facing a range of punishments up to a two-year ban.

The club have not released further details, but the World Anti-Doping Agency defines the substance for which he tested positive in a category as “more susceptible to a credible, non-doping explanation”.

That raises the possibility Toure may have unwittingly taken an illegal substance as part of an over-the-counter medicine or dietary supplement, though details are unclear. Either way, the 29-year-old faces the possibility of a stringent punishment that will place his career at Eastlands in jeopardy. He will have to justify his reasons for taking the substance and the circumstances surrounding them.

Rio Ferdinand was banned for eight months in 2003 after missing a drugs test, and Paddy Kenny is the clearest example of how taking the wrong cold cure can have serious ramifications, receiving a nine-month ban in 2009 when he was a Sheffield United player.

Kenny, now at Queens Park Rangers, admitted having ephedrine in his system but maintained he had simply been taking a cough medicine to combat a chest infection.

Neither the FA nor City have stated when the test took place, but Toure played in Sunday’s 1-1 draw at home to Fulham. He was not involved in the 3-0 FA Cup defeat of Aston Villa on Wednesday, the implication being that he was informed in the run-up to the match.

“Manchester City confirm that the FA has informed Kolo Toure that an ‘A sample’ provided by him has tested positive for a specified substance,” the club said in a statement. “As result, he has been suspended from participating in all first-team and non-first-team matches pending the outcome of the legal process. There will be no further comment at this stage.”

The first step for Toure will be to decide whether to request a B test and deliver a full report to the FA about the circumstances surrounding the alleged offence. Footballers are warned against taking medicines without specific advice because of the possibility they may be infringing the rules.

The likelihood is Toure will not be involved for the rest of the season and it cannot be certain when his case will be heard. The complex legalities involved make it a slow process.