Oscar Zambrano’s mother has insisted the Hull City man tested positive in a drug test after an allergic reaction to shrimp.
That’s according to El Mercurio, who cover the midfielder today and the story being shared behind the scenes by those closest to him.
CONMEBOL announced today that they have sanctioned the Hull player after he tested positive for a banned substance earlier this year.
Zambrano was initially placed on a suspended sentence after breaches of articles six and seven of the CONMEBOL anti-doping regulations, which usually carry a two-year sentence. He is yet to be handed a ban as yet, however.
The case will be taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with Zambrano’s defence lawyer Santiago Barragán explaining their stance in comments today.
They say that the Hull man ‘obtained an adverse analytical result’ during an anti-doping test int the finals of the Recopa Sudamericana against Fluminense in February when still playing for LDU Quito.
According to his mother, María Preciado, the problem arose from a strong allergic reaction to a ceviche that contained shrimp juice. Ceviche is a fish dish consisting of shellfish marinated in citrus and seasonings.
He took a pill to counter this on the advice of his girlfriend but it led to further complications and he attended a clinic, where he was injected with a diuretic (chlorthalidone). This substance is part of the Prohibited List published by the World Anti- Doping Agency (WADA).
Zambrano returned to playing a month later but tested positive in the aforementioned game, leading to his suspension by CONMEBOL.
