Bosnich escapes with nine-month suspension

Mark Bosnich has escaped the maximum two-year suspension but was given a nine-month ban by the Football Association after yesterday's disciplinary hearing into his failed drugs test.

The 31-year-old goalkeeper, who intends to appeal, claimed his drink had been spiked with cocaine on a night out, but an FA commission ruled that he was guilty of improper conduct and breaching their doping control regulations. The Australian will, nevertheless, not face the maximum penalty of a two-year suspension, with his nine-month ban backdated to start from 23 December, 2002, when a temporary worldwide restriction was first enforced.

There was an added twist, however, when the government minister for sport, Richard Caborn, announced he was saddened by the FA's leniency. "I am disappointed the FA has not taken this chance to show their commitment to the new WADA [World Anti-Doping Agency] code, which gives a minimum ban of two years if the case is proven," he said.

"I am writing to the FA, drawing the code and its penalties to their attention and asking for their reasons for being so lenient."

However, Bosnich's solicitor, Keith Schilling, said: "Mark Bosnich is very disappointed by the commission's decision and intends to appeal as soon as possible."

Bosnich, whose contract was terminated by Chelsea after he failed a random drugs test last year when the 'B' sample matched the results of the 'A' sample, was not fined yesterday, but he must pay the costs of the FA commission. The FA will now be contacting Fifa, the game's world governing body, to request that Bosnich's suspension should be applied on a worldwide basis, although he will now be available to play in September.

Bosnich, who underwent treatment for depression shortly after failing the test, is still contesting Chelsea's decision to dismiss him, despite a Premier League verdict that the club had acted justifiably.

Bosnich failed to attend the original hearing for the charge, leading to the continuation of his temporary worldwide ban while his defence team finalised its case. However, while the FA did not contest that Bosnich had taken the drug to enhance his performance, he was still found to have contravened FA regulations by having it in his system.

The FA announced in a statement: "Both charges brought against Mark Bosnich were found to be proven in relation to a positive test for cocaine last year... While there was no financial penalty, he was ordered to pay the costs of the commission to a maximum of £10,000. If Bosnich becomes a participant in English football again following his suspension, he will be subject to target testing for two years under the jurisdiction of the FA's drug-testing programme."