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Korean national soccer team forward tests positive for steroid, says he used mustache-growing cream

June 11, 2015

Kang Soo-il arrives at Incheon International Airport. (AP)

Kang Soo-il arrives at Incheon International Airport. (Yonhap)

SHAH ALAM, Malaysia (Yonhap) — South Korean national football forward Kang Soo-il has tested positive for a steroid, the sport’s officials announced Thursday.

The K League, the governing body of South Korean professional football, said Kang, who plays for Jeju United in the top-flight K League Classic, tested positive for an anabolic steroid called methyltestosterone. The Korea Anti-Doping Agency (KADA) conducted the test.

Kang had been selected to the national team, which defeated United Arab Emirates (UAE) 3-0 in a friendly match in Malaysia on Thursday and will take on Myanmar in a World Cup qualifier next week.

Under FIFA regulations, players who fail doping tests are banned from representing their nations. The Korea Football Association (KFA) said Kang will return to South Korea on Friday.

Kang told the league that he put on mustache-growing cream.

The K League said Kang’s A sample tested positive, and he may submit his B sample for further tests. Should Kang’s B sample also test positive, he will be subject to a doping hearing.

The K League hands down a 15-game ban for first-time offenders and a one-year suspension is in order for those who fail doping tests for the second time.

Third-time offenders are banned for life.