Hepatitis revelations won´t stop Kewell, says agent

Star Australian footballer Harry Kewell has had autoimmune hepatitis for years but will still be able to play at the highest level for the rest of his career, his manager said Thursday.

News of his long-standing condition was revealed in the Turkish press this week following a routine drug test after he scored the winner for his Turkish side Galatasaray in last week's UEFA Cup clash with Olympiakos.

Reports here said Kewell's condition had been well known to Football Federation Australia, the world body FIFA, and his previous clubs Leeds United and Liverpool, as well as Galatasaray, who signed him earlier this year.

Media reports said Kewell, 30, who is a prominent member of Australia's World Cup team, needs a daily dose of the steroid prednisone to treat his condition.

His agent, Bernie Mandic, said Kewell's condition was not contagious and was not a threat to his teammates.

“When people see the word hepatitis, they immediately draw conclusions,” Mandic told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“Harry does not have, and never has had, a contagious disease. What he does have is no different to someone with asthma, or diabetes, or any similar ailment.

“You deal with it, and get on with it. There is no looking for sympathy, or excuses, in regards to Harry's ability to keep playing at the highest level for a number of years.”

A leading Sydney sports physician, who requested anonymity, told the newspaper that the condition, in which the body's immune system attacks liver cells, was able to be successfully managed over time.

“Obviously it's a condition you would rather not have, but the fact that he's been able to successfully manage it for a number of years shows it's probably not that serious,” he said.

“Hepatitis is basically an inflammation of the liver, but it comes in many different forms.”

The FFA declined to comment on the issue.