Napoli sports chief Pierpaolo Marino has hit out at the stunning 12-month ban for midfielder Daniele Mannini.

The 25-year-old first-team regular missed a drugs test in December 2007 after playing for Brescia against Chievo and was initially cleared by the Italian Football Federation.

However, after an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Authority, Mannini has been handed a crushing suspension that will stop his recent progress in its tracks.

"It is a colossal injustice," Marino roared on Sky Sport Italia.

"We signed the player after the event and so I can judge this objectively.

"It seems absurd to me that this decision has compromised the careers of two players who weren't even taking banned substances."