Saudi Arabia has been forced to exclude its winger Fahad Al-Muwallad from the squad for the World Cup in Qatar for doping. The Saudi football federation made the decision this Sunday "as a precautionary measure" since the footballer, with a past at Levante, tested positive for an anti-doping test in February of this year.
In a statement, the Saudis announced that after studying the latest developments in the case of the 28-year-old winger and pending appeals, it was better for coach Hervé Renard) to rule him out of the World Cup. In Al-Muwallad's place has been called Nawaf Al-Abed, 32 years old and also a player of the same club as his discarded teammate, the Saudi Al Shabab Club.
Al-Muwallad tested positive in February for furosemide, a diuretic used to reduce fluid retention and to avoid detection of anabolic steroids, for which he was suspended for a year and a half by the Saudi federation. However, the winger aimed to be included in the list so far, since a reduction in the sanction was being studied.
It is not the first time that Al-Muwallad has been in the eye of the storm. In his few months on loan at Levante in 2018, the Swabian, who arrived in the winter market within the LaLiga and Saudi Arabia collaboration agreement and only played 26 minutes, made headlines for his 'disappearance'. He went on leave to a funeral in his country but was slow to show signs of life in Orriols.
In 2019, the Saudi Arabian Anti-Doping Committee (SAADC) sanctioned the Al-Ittihad FC player for a year without playing because the player and his teammate Mohammed bin Nasser Al-Subaie violated anti-doping regulations when traces of a metabolic stimulant were detected in an analysis made to the players.
Saudi Arabia will play the soccer World Cup for the sixth time in its history and will do so in one of the toughest groups. It was matched in its group with rivals from the entity of Argentina, Mexico and Poland.
