UEFA bans Cameroonian goalkeeper, Onana one year over doping violation

Etim Effiong

UEFA has banned Cameroonian goalkeeper, Andre Onana, for one year for doping violation. Onana plays for Ajax.

A statement on Friday from Ajax noted that Onana had ‘mistakenly’ taken his wife’s medicine, which had led to the banned diuretic Furosemide found in his urine.

The statement read: “The disciplinary body of the European Football Association, UEFA, has imposed a suspension of 12 months on Andre Onana for a doping violation.

“After an ‘out of competition’ check on October 30 last year, the goalkeeper found the substance Furosemide in his urine. The suspension is effective from today and applies to all football activities, both national and international.

“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.”

Ajax’s Managing Director, Edwin van der Sar, stated that the Eredivise side will appeal Onana’s ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

“We explicitly renounce performance-enhancing drugs; we stand for a clean sport. 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 many years and is very popular with the fans. We had hoped for a conditional suspension or a much shorter one than these twelve months, because it was demonstrably not meant to strengthen his body and thus improve his performance,” he said.

The 24-year-old also took to his Twitter page to issue a lengthy statement wherein he explained that he had mistaken his wife’s medicine for aspirin because the packaging was “almost identical.”

Onana said the ban on him was “excessive and disproportionate.”

Official Statement #AO24 pic.twitter.com/BgyoO5D59b

— Andre Onana (@AndreyOnana) February 5, 2021 The goalkeeper joined Ajax in 2015 from Barcelona and has kept nine clean sheets in 20 league games this season.