French footballer Samir Nasri has had his doping ban extended from six to 18 months ©Getty Images

French footballer Samir Nasri has had his doping ban extended from six to 18 months after he used a drip treatment at a Los Angeles clinic in 2016.

The original sanction awarded by European football body UEFA in February was extended following an appeal by their ethics and disciplinary panel.

Nasri's updated ban will be backdated to July 1, 2017, since which he has played eight times for Turkish side Antalyaspor.

The 31-year-old, who is now a free agent, will be permitted to return to training in November.

"The UEFA Appeals Body met on July 17 following an appeal lodged by the Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector against the decision announced by the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) on February  22, 2018 which had suspended the player Samir Nasri for six months," explained a UEFA statement. 

"Briefly, she held that bearing in mind circumstances of the case and the player’s behaviour the applicable sanction in this case is two years of suspension.

"In the scope of these proceedings the player entered into formal negotiations with WADA, the French Anti-Doping Agency Agence Francaise de Lutte contre le Dopage and the Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector. 

"The outcome of these negotiations provided an identical request containing as the appropriate disciplinary sanction against the player a suspension of 18 months starting as of July 1, 2017.

Samir Nasri received a controversial drip treatment in December 2016 ©Twitter
Samir Nasri received a controversial drip treatment in December 2016 ©Twitter

The former France international was discovered to be using the treatment after Los Angeles clinic Drip Doctors posted a photo of him on social media in December 2016.

Nasri was playing for Spanish side Sevilla at the time, with Drip Doctors claiming they had provided him with a drip "to help keep him hydrated and in top health during his busy soccer season".

The former Arsenal and Manchester City player was said to have received 500 millilitres of hydration in the form of sterile water, containing micronutrients, at the clinic on December 26, 2016.

World Anti-Doping Agency rules state that there is a 50ml infusion limit per six-hour period for active athletes.

Sevilla retrospectively applied for a therapeutic use exemption for Nasri in February 2017, but this was turned down by UEFA and later upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.