Three Sharjah footballers fail routine random check-up

The players have denied taking illegal substances, the FA said, but they will not be eligible to play until the B sample test results arrive.

Three Sharjah players, including two of their first XI, have been suspended after they tested positive for "prohibited performance-enhancing substances", the Football Association said yesterday.

Yasser Abdullah Al Junaibi, Ghassem Mohammed and Shaheen Abdulrahman failed "a routine random check-up", according to the FA.

The players "vehemently denied" taking illegal substances, the FA said, but they will not be eligible for Sharjah until the "B" sample of the test confirms or invalidates the positive "A" test.

Yasser Abdullah, 23, is a defender who has appeared in 17 matches with the first team, including all 12 Pro League games this term.

Ghassem Mohammed, 24, has been the first-choice goalkeeper in Sharjah's past seven league matches. Abdulrahman, 19, a defender, has mostly appeared with the reserve team but has made four Pro League appearances.

All three were ineligible for Sharjah's Etisalat Cup match on Saturday, won 3-0 by Al Shabab.

Last week, Yahya Abdulkarim resigned as chairman of the club, who find themselves in a relegation battle in the league, out of the President's Cup and bottom of their group in the Etisalat Cup.