Tanko's Drug Case: Stuttgart 's Appeal Turned Down

Stuttgart have had an appeal for a defeat by Borussia Dortmund overturned after complaining that former Dortmund man Ibrahim Tanko should not have played in the December 2 meeting between the sides.

Ghanaian Tanko, who has since joined Freiburg, was found Thursday to have taken marijuana after a test following a cup match on November 29 and was suspended for four months.

He admitted to taking puffs of a joint at a wedding reception in the Netherlands on November 26.

But the German league authorities said Stuttgart could not have the result of their match with Dortmund overturned as they had complained too late.

Tanko's lawyer Josef Ulrich Doring said he thought the ban harsh and said rather than doping the incident had been an example of "youthful silliness."