Kallon's hopes of a quick return to football are up in smoke

Sierra Leone international Mohammed Kallon faces a lengthy ban from football after his explanation for a positive drugs test was rejected by the Italian Olympic Committee (Coni).

The Inter Milan striker tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone following a routine check after the Milan club's league match against Udinese on 27 September.

Coni recommended in a statement on Wednesday that the 24-year-old should be punished on the basis of 'intentional doping'.

The Italian Football Federation's disciplinary committee is the body that will decide the precise length of Kallon's ban.

As yet, the Italian Football Federation does not know when this meeting will take place but a spokesperson told the BBC Sport website the body is likely to convene next week.

Under Italian anti-doping rules, the Inter Milan striker faces a maximum two-year suspension although other players who have tested positive for nandrolone in the past have received shorter bans ranging from four to eight months.

Mohammed Kallon is one of two African players in Italian football that have tested positive for a banned substance this season.

Perugia's Libyan striker Al-Saadi Gaddafi tested positive for norandrosterone - a metabolite of nandrolone - following a sample taken on 5 October.

The 28-year-old son of the Libyan leader had yet to play a first-team game for Perugia prior to his failed drugs test.