Paris (AFP)

The third line of South African stadium Stade Hendrix Stassen, revelation of the last season of Top 14, was tested positive for testosterone, told AFP Tuesday his lawyer Olivier Martin, and was laid off by his club .

Stassen, 21, faces a suspension of two to four years. It was to be heard Tuesday afternoon by the French Agency for the fight against doping (AFLD), said his defender, confirming information site lequipe.fr, about its suspension on a provisional basis.

This temporary suspension was decided on July 10th by the AFLD after an unexpected control carried out during the match of Top 14 against Montpellier on May 19th. Stassen also asked for a second opinion, but the B sample was also positive, like the A sample.

The file will now be learned by the AFLD and the player can provide explanations. He will be offered an "administrative composition", the equivalent of a guilty plea. If he refuses, he will go before the sanctions commission of the AFLD.

- Targeted in South Africa -

Stassen incurs four years suspension for the presence of a prohibited substance in his urine. Unless he can demonstrate that it is the result of an unintentional catch, in which case the applicable penalty is two years.

On July 12th, the Stade Français, which is currently preparing for the resumption of the championship, decided to "dispense activity" Stassen pending the evolution of the procedure and to allow him "to organize his defense ".

In a statement released late Tuesday night, Stade Français said it had laid off Stassen. "Given the steps and actions taken by the AFLD, Stade Français has decided to lay off its player as a precautionary measure and has started disciplinary proceedings against him. will impose at the end of the procedure and its conclusions ", writes the club.

Stassen, 21, is also targeted in South Africa by a police investigation for violence against a dentist leaving a disco in Pretoria.

The flanker is considered the revelation of the season in the ranks of stadist, where he arrived in October in Paris from the South African province of the Bulls.

Rugby was the second most controlled sport by AFLD in France in 2018 (1113 controls). The same year, nine abnormal test results - which do not necessarily lead to a penalty - were recorded in rugby, against eleven in 2017.

Testosterone is anabolic agents. It is prized as a doping product, especially to improve muscle mass.

© 2019 AFP