Ajax’s Andre Onana banned from football for 12 months after failing drugs test
Ajax are set to appeal after goalkeeper Andre Onana was banned from football for 12 months after failing a drugs test.
Banned substance Furosemide was found in the shot-stopper’s urine following an out-of-competition doping test in October 2020.
Ajax claim their No. 1 accidentally took medicine prescribed for his wife though Onana has been banned for 12 months, effective from February 5.
A statement on the Ajax website reads: "On the morning of October 30, Onana was feeling unwell. He wanted to take a pill to ease the discomfort.
“Unknowingly, however, he took Lasimac, a drug that his wife had previously been prescribed.
"Onana’s confusion resulted in him mistakenly taking his wife's medicine, ultimately causing this measure to be taken by UEFA against the goalkeeper.
"Furthermore, the disciplinary body of the football association has stated that Onana had no intention of cheating.
“However, the European Football Association believes, on the basis of the applicable anti-doping rules, that an athlete has a duty at all times to ensure that no banned substances enter the body.
“Onana and Ajax will appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).”
The ban means Onana, 24, will not be available for Ajax's domestic or European matches.
He will also be unavailable for Cameroon until February 2022, including next January’s Africa Cup of Nations should they qualify.
Ajax managing director Edwin van der Sar said: “We explicitly renounce performance-enhancing drugs, we obviously stand for a clean sport.
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"This is a terrible setback, for Andre himself but certainly also for us as a club. Andre is a top goalkeeper, who has proven his worth for Ajax for years and is very popular with the fans.
"We had hoped for a conditional suspension or for a suspension much shorter than these 12 months, because it was arguably not intended to strengthen his body and thus improve his performance.”
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