Wenger defends ‘clean living’ Toure

ARSENE WENGER has claimed Kolo Toure “made a mistake” in taking a banned substance — but a leading expert on drugs in sport does not feel that defence alone will be enough to clear the Manchester City star.

As both Toure and City have maintained strict silence on the failed test which has led to the defender being suspended pending a full investigation, Wenger has filled the void.

On Thursday night the Arsenal manager spoke with the player he brought to England in 2002. And Wenger has confirmed the banned substance was almost certainly in a slimming tablet belonging to his wife. “He made a mistake by forgetting to ask ‘can I take that?’,” said Wenger. “He wants to control his weight a little bit because that is where he has some problems and he took a product belonging to his wife.

“I don’t think there’s a desire to do something wrong and hide it. He was not cautious enough. Never trust your wife! That is how he was caught.”

A devout Muslim and one of the cornerstones of City’s push into the Manchester community, Toure seemed the least likely player to get embroiled in such a mess. From his own dealings with the 29-year-old, Wenger cannot conceive of Toure as a drugs cheat.

“It is a complete surprise because I had Kolo Toure here for years, I brought him here,” he said.

“He is a boy who has a clean life, always at home, a family man. I don’t suspect him at all to have taken drugs to enhance his performances.”

But under the strict liability rules that surround all cases of this nature, the Ivorian must prove his innocence.

And that is where he may have a problem according to Michele Verroken, founding director of Sporting Integrity and formerly UK Sport’s Director of Drug-Free Sport. “There are enough warnings out there,” she said.

“If what is being said by Mr Wenger is correct, then it is what we call a fat burner, which increases the heart rate.

“You simply cannot afford to be taking this stuff. There is no excuse.”

Verroken feels it is impossible to speculate on the likely outcome of Toure’s case. “So much depends on the circumstances,” she said.

“It may be that he can convince a disciplinary panel of his innocence and he will get away with a warning. On the other hand, if they don’t believe him, they can apply a two-year ban.

“That would not just stop him from playing. He wouldn’t be able to train with a team either, which could have a devastating impact on his career.

“It just seems so pointless.”