(Reuters) – Atalanta’s Argentine defender Jose Palomino has been handed a provisional suspension by Italy’s anti-doping court after testing positive for a banned substance, the country’s national anti-doping organisation (NADO) said in a statement on Tuesday.
Palomino’s sample contained a metabolite of clostebol, a steroid on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) banned list which can also be found in some medications.
The suspension comes before the start of the new Serie A campaign, which Atalanta kick off on Aug. 13 at Sampdoria after finishing eighth in the table last season.
Palomino could not immediately be reached for comment.
The 32-year-old centre back, who joined Atalanta from Bulgarian side Ludogorets in 2017, has made 202 appearances for the Bergamo-based club in all competitions.
(Reporting by Silvia Recchimuzzi in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)
