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Mutu admits cocaine test failure
Analysis: What next for Mutu?
Background:
A year to forget for Mutu
Adrian Mutu has accepted his positive test for cocaine, the Professional Footballers' Association has revealed.
The Chelsea striker will decline to have his B sample tested and instead push for a hearing into his case as soon as possible.
Mutu's admission could mitigate any punishment he now faces.
"He will not be going ahead with the second test. He has tested positive for cocaine," PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor confirmed.
Mutu's representative, Gica Popescu, had pleaded with the striker to come clean and avoid the possibility of increasing any ban from the game he may face.
The Romanian international striker met with representatives of the PFA on Monday and will not insist on further analysis of the original test which proved positive for cocaine.
"There will be a hearing at the Football Association, which we hope can be held as quickly as possible to get the matter dealt with," Taylor explained.
He added: "It's very difficult to predetermine what will happen at the hearing, but we do have a distinction between social drugs and performance-enhancing drugs.
"If the player accepts that he is guilty and if he is prepared to undertake rehabilitation, be checked regularly and to be clean then there is greater sympathy towards the player."
Requesting a B sample would, in theory, have given Mutu the chance of clearing his name.
Instead, the 25-year-old will hope his early admission to the offence could significantly reduce the punishment he faces.
I told him that almost always the second sample confirms the first sample
Gica Popescu, player representative
But the FA are refusing to comment on the case and clarify whether a more lenient punishment can be sought for social drugs, as opposed to performancing enhacing drugs, as Taylor suggests.
Goalkeeper Mark Bosnich was banned from the game for nine months after testing positive for cocaine in 2002 while at Chelsea - but the Australian always denied he took the drug knowingly, claiming his drink was spiked.
Taylor said he was disappointed Mutu's name had been leaked on Monday.
He said: "We have been aware for a short time there had been a positive test because we work with the FA on drug-testing procedure but this is a breach of confidentiality.
"I have been in contact with the player but it would be wrong to say what he thinks."
Mutu is likely to be allowed agent repesentation at any hearing, but one of his representatives, Ioan Becali, has not flown to London.
Becali said: "I found out about the result on Tuesday. The Chelsea manager (Jose Mourinho) was a gentleman and called me.
"From that moment I decided to change my phone number. That is why I didn't want to go to England with my brother Victor, who also looks after Adrian, because I knew the story was true.
"I was very unhappy with Mutu and told him about the test. But he decided to go to Italy because he would be ashamed to appear in front of his colleagues ahead of this news."
Becali claimed the test took place after Mutu missed a training session.
The agent added: "He didn't play well against Villa so he didn't merit inclusion against Paris St Germain in the Champions League a few days later.
"Three players missed a training session after that game. Mutu was one."
Chelsea were looking to offload Mutu, a £15.8m signing from Parma last season, after a disappointing run of form.
He scored six goals in his first five games after arriving at Stamford Bridge but his performances quickly went into decline and he has been frozen out by Mourinho.
The striker fell out with Mourinho over Mutu's decision to defy the club and play for Romania in their World Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic last week.
The striker played despite a knee problem and Mourinho fined him two weeks' wages on his return to England.
