His all-action approach to defending may well be receiving rave reviews since his loan move to Crystal Palace, however, Mamadou Sakho’s career seemed very much in the doldrums this time last year after receiving a drugs related ban.
Having just fired in a goal against Dortmund, helping Liverpool to reach a Europa League final, the Frenchman’s season was cut short after he failed a drugs test. The case was deemed relatively open and shut when Sakho admitted to taking a fat burner, without consulting any of the club’s medical staff.
Following an investigation into the case, UEFA has recently revealed a litany of judgement errors by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in the lead up to the verdict. Namely, the fact that that his failed substance wasn’t even on the banned list at all – it being a plant extract called Higenamine.
Such substance was considered to be part of ‘B2-Agonist’, a band group according to WADA. As Higenamine wasn’t routinely tested by the organisation, laboratories weren’t communicating on the fact that this was no longer the case.
Sakho was notified that he has tested positive on April the 22nd, following a test he had taken after Liverpool defeated United in the Europe League. The defender receiving an immediate 30-day ban
A sequence of events that should have been avoided, according to the footballing body.
UEFA state: “The expert reports commissioned by the player – which come from very reputable sources in Professor Brian Kobilka and Professor Richard Bloomer – cast serious doubts on this categorisation.
“Under this weight of evidence, and without receiving anything to the contrary from WADA, it is impossible for (UEFA) to accept that Higenamine is scientifically proven to be a B2-Agonist.”
“The fact that the Cologne Laboratory tested for Higenamine but had to check with WADA before making a determination indicates a problem, as does the fact that the Lausanne Laboratory does not test for Higenamine at all.
“In this regard, Dr Martial Saugy explained that he has not received any formal instruction from WADA to test for Higenamine and explained that the Lausanne Laboratory would not start testing for Higenamine until such communication is received….
“In the present case, the Control Ethics and Disciplinary Body was presented with a situation where the player tested positive for Higenamine because the sample was sent to Cologne, but would not have tested positive if the sample had been sent to Lausanne.”
Despite the player’s fine form of late, he isn’t expected to return to his parent club Liverpool when the season’s loan ends. Whilst his undeserved ban certainly didn’t help his career with the Merseysiders, Klopp will do doubt concede that the players poor attitude will see the player be sold this Summer.
(Via Liverpool Echo)