Jose Palomino Asks For Retest Of Banned Substance Samples, Atalanta: He Is Innocent

JAKARTA - Atalanta defender Jose Palomino will request a sample retest which has resulted in him being suspended by Italy's Anti-Doping Court for a banned substance, the Serie A club said on Thursday.

Italy's anti-doping organization said on Tuesday that the Argentine had tested positive for the metabolite clostebol, a steroid on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned list which is also found in some drugs.

"The strong belief, based on the investigation, that he can prove his innocence remains strong," Atalanta said in a statement.

The Bergamo-based club added that Palomino would also request documentation of a complete analysis of the sample.

The suspension comes before the start of the new Serie A season which Atalanta will start on August 13 at Sampdoria after finishing eighth in the standings last term.