Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro is being investigated for failing a doping test after receiving emergency treatment on an insect bite, his club Juventus said on Thursday. "Juventus's medical department specifies that it acted in respect of health procedures and ethical rules in an emergency intervention in August following the deterioration of the clinical condition after an insect bite," read a statement on the club website (www.juventus.com).
"On this occasion a pharmacological therapy was administered that was indispensable to prevent complications, including lethal ones."
The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) said Cannavaro had requested an exemption after being treated for the bite but did not receive it before he was tested.
Fabio Cannavaro, captain of the Italian soccer team, kicks the ball during a training session in Attredgeville outside Pretoria June 9, 2009
Cannavaro, Italy's most capped player and the cornerstone of their 2006 World Cup-winning side, has been summoned to a hearing with CONI's anti-doping prosecutor Ettore Torri.
The Juventus defender had been expected to join the Italy squad this weekend for next Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against Cyprus in Parma. He is suspended for Saturday's match against Ireland in Dublin, when a draw will suffice to book the Azzurri's place in South Africa next year.