Ntshumayelo threatens court action

Cape Town - Thandani Ntshumayelo's legal counsel have threatened to take the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport to court if they don't overturn his four-year ban from football for using a Class A drug.

The player tested positive for cocaine after a match for Orlando Pirates earlier this year and subsequently admitted his guilt for using a banned substance.

He was convicted on the charge and was handed a four-year sentence from playing football. Pirates later terminated his contract with the club after a hearing.

However, Ntshumayelo's legal counsel have since challenged the findings on the basis that the lab that took his sample was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency in March for not maintaining WADA standards, some three months after he tested positive.

According to the City Press, his counsel have submitted a letter to SAIDS demanding that his sentence be overturned.

The publication's source said, "Our argument is that his [Ntshumayelo's] urine sample was tested by an unlicensed laboratory and that the analytical report issued by the same laboratory is invalid."

The player's legal team are also said to be approaching Pirates to challenge the termination of his playing contract on similar grounds.