ROME: Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro said Monday he was still enraged by the question marks placed against him after he failed a dope test in August.

Details of the failed test emerged last week ahead of Italy's 2-2 World Cup qualifying draw in Ireland that secured the world champions' passage to South Africa next year.

Cannavaro was suspended for that game but has rejoined his international team-mates for Wednesday's now meaningless qualifier at home to Cyprus.

Although he failed a dope test, due to having the banned substance cortisone in his system, his club Juventus explained that he had been given an emergency injection after his arm swelled up due to an insect sting.

Juve said they submitted a request for a medical exemption but it was missing a document and in the meantime Cannavaro failed the test on August 29.

Since then, however, the Italian Olympic Committee's (Coni) anti-doping prosecutor has recommended that the case against Cannavaro be dropped.

But that hasn't improved the former world player of the year's mood.

"This is busting my balls, and if you didn't understand me well enough I'll repeat, this is busting my balls," Cannavaro told reporters at Italy's training base near Florence.

"I have a clean conscience. Someone gets stung by a bee and then he finds themselves in the newspapers as if he had doped.

"When that happened I thought I was dreaming. Some newspapers and television stations went too far.

"It's the second time I've found myself in the newspapers for a story of this type."

Cannavaro was referring to an incident during his time with Parma, which was revealed in a 2005 film showing him receiving a substance via a drip.

"That time it was stupid to allow myself to be filmed, even if the substance wasn't banned," he said.

"This time it was Juventus's mistake (in not submitting the right documents) but it was still blown out of all proportion.

"I hope this doubt won't follow me now, my career has been exemplary and always conducted within the rules."