St Kilda player Ahmed Saad will face an AFL anti-doping tribunal on Wednesday after testing positive to a banned substance earlier this year.

Saad could potentially face a two-year ban.

The hearing, due to start at 1700 (AEDT), is closed to media.

No outcome is expected to be announced for several weeks.

The 24-year-old has played 29 games for the Saints and kicked 45 goals, since making his debut last year.

He provided an irregular drug sample in July, which he claims resulted from inadvertently taking a substance on the AFL Anti-Doping prohibited list.

He continued playing while his B-sample was being analysed.

But after that also came back positive, he started serving a provisional suspension and sat out the Saints’ final two matches of this year.

That means any ban would be expected to be backdated from when he began serving that suspension, on August 20.

The Saints said at the time the decision to start the suspension before the case was heard did not amount to an admission of guilt.

“The commencement of the provisional suspension is not an admission of guilt or wrongdoing and the matter will be determined before the AFL tribunal at a date to be fixed,” the club said in a statement in August.

Coach Scott Watters’ decision to play Saad, against Brisbane at the Gabba in round 19, after his initial positive test, was reportedly among the acts which fractured Watters’ relationship with the club’s board and executive.

Watters was sacked last week.

Saad’s hearing is being chaired by AFL tribunal chairman David Jones.

The panel will also include Dr Susan White, a sports physician from the Australian Sports Drug Medical Advisory Committee and Wayne Henwood, a member of the AFL tribunal panel and former player.