by REERA YOO | @reeraboo
editor@charactermedia.com
South Korean striker Kang Soo-il has decided to not contest his 15-match suspension after he tested positive for the banned steroid methyltestosterone shorty before his international debut, reports the Associated Press.
Kang, 27, initially blamed his failed doping test on a mustache-growing cream he received as a gift.
On June 11, the Jeju United forward was only a few hours away from playing his first match with South Korea’s national soccer team against the United Arab Emirates when his test results were revealed. He was immediately pulled out of the squad and sent home to Seoul the following day.
Without Kang, South Korea still managed to beat the UAE 3-0. The team is scheduled to play against Myanmar in a 2018 World Cup qualifier in Bangkok on Tuesday.
According to AP, soccer players have the option of submitting a second sample for further testing, but Kang has chosen to accept the 15-match ban the K-League doles out to first-time offenders.
“I am sorry for the fans who had high expectations of me,” Kang told reporters upon arriving in Seoul. “I feel sad … and disappointed with myself because I had no knowledge about what a professional player should know naturally.”
Kang is only the second multiethnic player to join South Korea’s national team. He is now also the second Korean athlete to fail a doping test this year after Olympic swim champ Park Tae-hwan tested positive for testosterone in March.
See Also
South Korean Striker Fails Doping Test, Blames Mustache-Growing Cream
Mixed Korean Athlete Joins Korea’s National Soccer Team
Suspended Olympic Swimmer Park Tae-hwan Approved to Resume Training
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Featured image courtesy of Yonhap
