BBC Sport Online: Football: Europe

Italian league suspends Davids

The Dutch international was suspended indefinitely by the league's disciplinary committee pending an outcome of a hearing into his case.

The Italian Olympic Committee (Coni) confirmed on Wednesday that Davids had tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone.

The 28-year-old, who has denied taking any illegal substance, first tested positive after the Serie A match with Udinese on 4 March.

The suspension will be a big blow for Juventus, who lie third in the table and six points behind leaders AS Roma with only four games remaining.

Earlier this week football anti-doping investigators demanded that a 16-month ban be imposed on Lazio's Portuguese defender Fernando Couto for a similar alleged offence.

Perugia players Salvatore Monaco and Cristian Bucchi have already received that penalty but they are appealing the ban. They too tested positive for nandrolone.