Kolo Toure banned for six months

Last updated : 26 May 2011 By BBC Sport

Manchester City defender Kolo Toure will miss the start of next season after being handed a six-month ban for failing a drugs test.The ban started on 2 March, when Toure's suspension began. An independent regulatory commission reached the verdict after a hearing.

Toure was suspended after being tested at the Manchester derby in February, when he was an unused substitute.

He will also be target-tested for a period of two years from 26 May.

The possible punishment for his offence ranges from a warning to a two-year ban. Toure, 30, is under contract with City until the summer of 2013.

He was one of several high-profile arrivals in the summer of 2009 as then-manager Mark Hughes spent more than ?100m on new players.

Source: BBC Sport

Source: BBC Sport