Former Manchester United and Italy striker Giuseppe Rossi has spoken of his relief at avoiding being hit with a drugs ban.
Rossi, who is currently without a club, reportedly gave a positive test for dorzolamide, an anti-glaucoma agent found in eye drops, after Genoa s 1-0 Serie A defeat to Benevento in May.
It was reported Rossi could be banned for a year, with his case handled by Italy s anti-doping agency, Nado Italia.
But at Monday s hearing the 31-year-old avoided a suspension, meaning he is free to sign for a new team and return to the pitch.
We don t understand how this substance ended up among Rossi s foods, said Rossi s lawyer Sergio Puglisi Maraja. There was no intentionality the line of good faith and consistency prevailed.
Oggi è finito un incubo di 4 mesi! . Adesso voglio pensare solo al calcio e continuare a fare quello che amo più di ogni altra cosa!
— GIUSEPPE ROSSI (@GiuseppeRossi22)
And Rossi, whose former clubs include Fiorentina, Villarreal and Celta Vigo, posted on social media of his joy at not being given a ban from football.
A nightmare of four months is over! Rossi wrote on Twitter. I only want to think about football and keep doing what I love more than anything else!
Rossi left Genoa at the end of the 2017-18 season, during which he only managed to score one Serie A goal in nine appearances.
He has won 30 caps for Italy, scoring seven goals, but has not played for his country since a friendly against Republic of Ireland in 2014.
