Striker Mohamed Kallon has been included in the Sierra Leone squad that will play in the home leg of their 2006 Nations Cup and World Cup qualifier against Congo.
There had been speculation that Kallon, currently suspended from playing in the Italian league as a result of a positive test for the steroid nandrolone, would be dropped for the encounter.
But national coach John Jebbor Sherington told the BBC Sport website that his belief in Kallon`s innocence influenced his decision to invite the Inter Milan player for the tie.
"I am sure that Kallon will be proven innocent when a test is taken on the `B` sample.
"He`s a clean and very disciplined player,"
Sheringtonsaid.
Kallon, who is the Leone Stars captain, is among nine foreign-based players invited for the game, to be played in Freetown on 15 November.
"Kallon is one of the key players I rely on to defeat Congo and take Sierra Leone to the group stage of the qualifying series.
"We cannot afford to miss him now," the coach said.
China-based Mamadu Alphajor Bah and Kewullay Conteh, who also plays in Italy, are also invited.
A major absentee from the side is Belgium-based striker Paul Kpaka, who is recovering from an injury that kept him out of action for six months.
The Leone Stars lost 1-0 in the first encounter in Brazzaville.
