Davids Ban Set At Five Months
Tuesday 28th August 2001
Holland midfielder Edgar Davids hopes to be back in the Juventus side to face Bologna on October 21 after having his ban for testing positive for the banned steroid nandrolone set at five rather than eight months on Tuesday.
Davids appealed that the abnormally high levels of nandrolone detected in his blood in a routine dope test were caused by a homeopathic medicine he had been using to recover from a fever.
Public prosecutor Giacomo Aiello called for Davids to be banned for eight months on Tuesday, while Juventus were hoping for a three-and-a-half month suspension which the midfielder has already served.
The disciplinary committee settled on five months and a �30,000 fine.
Juventus intend to appeal to have the ban reduced still further and club lawyer Luigi Chiappero will ask to have Davids' case heard again on September 6 when Nicola Caccia and Stefano Sacchetti, of Piacenza, Jean-Francois Gillet of Bari and Fernando Couto of Lazio, will also have their suspensions for similar doping offences ruled on by the Commissione d'Appello Federale.
Stefan Torrisi, the Parma defender who also failed a dope test, has been banned for five months and fined of �15,000.
Davids was suspended on May 17 so would be available for selection for Juve's match against Bologna on October 21.
"I am selfish, but I had hoped to have Edgar back at once," Juventus coach Marcello Lippi said.
The reduced ban, however, will ease the pressure on Juve to buy Perugia's Fabio Liverani, who had been lined up as a replacement had Davids original eight-month suspension been upheld.
