Saudi Arabia pulls player from World Cup over doping case

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia winger Fahad al-Mowallad was pulled from the World Cup squad less than 48 hours after being selected because of an ongoing doping case. The team says it is dropping Al-Mowallad “as a precaution.” Al-Mowallad was included in coach Hervé Renard’s squad to play in Qatar despite testing positive for furosemide in February. It’s a banned diuretic that masks the presence of other drugs. He was banned for 18 months but it was later reduced. The World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed to get a longer ban. Saudi Arabia is in Group C with Argentina, Poland and Mexico.