Mark Bosnich was suspended from "all football activities" after the English Football Association confirmed the Australian goalkeeper had tested positive for cocaine.

Bosnich was charged by the FA with breaching its doping regulations and bringing the game into disrepute after returning a positive test for the drug.

The 30-year-old, who has already been suspended without pay by his club Chelsea, will be sidelined until the charges are heard, though no date has been set for an FA hearing.

The official statement from English soccer's governing body read: "The FA would not normally make any public statements at this stage of a case of this type, however, in view of numerous media reports over the past few weeks the situation required clarification.

"The charges respectively relate to bringing the game into disrepute and to breaching the FA's doping regulations by testing positive for a prohibited substance, namely cocaine.

"Mark Bosnich will be suspended from all football activities until the charges have been heard."

Bosnich has until Friday, January 10 to respond in writing to the charges.

Chelsea confirmed that Bosnich had been summoned to an internal meeting next week, but continued to maintain its silence on the affair until "the matter has been resolved", a spokeswoman said.

Bosnich first tested positive on November 19 and shortly after checked himself into a private clinic suffering from depression and he is still receiving treatment.

But the boss of English soccer's players' union insists the setback need not end Bosnich's career.

Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor highlighted Paul Merson's case as an example.

The former England midfielder publicly admitted drug use but recovered to continue his career.

"The fact is we have had high-profile players who have been in teams where they have enjoyed great success and then they get into a world where things can go wrong," he said.

"Rehabilitation is possible and things can get cleared up but it depends on the individual.

"The player can undergo rehabilitation and can be classed as clean and come into the game after a period of time, but that depends on Mark."

"It is a very sensitive situation. A lot depends on his attitude. Knowing him as I do I can't believe it is the end of the road or the end of his career."

Taylor admitted talk of drugs and depression seem "unfathomable" for a highly-paid Premiership star.

He said: "To a lot of people it is unfathomable how this can happen. Sometimes the most gifted people are susceptible to the most dangerous of things and that may well be what happened here.

"He's not been in a good state of mind - things have gone wrong for him at Chelsea on a number of occasions."

Bosnich has played only seven games in his two years at Stamford Bridge despite his STG42,000 ($A120,378.33) pay packet and is considered the third string keeper at the club behind Carlo Cudicini and Ed de Goey.

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