Ajax goalkeeper André Onana banned for 1 year in doping case

By: The Associated Press Posted: 5:08 AM CST Friday, Feb. 5, 2021 Last Modified: 6:59 AM CST Friday, Feb. 5, 2021

AMSTERDAM - Ajax goalkeeper André Onana was banned for one year by UEFA in a doping case on Friday and is set to miss next year's African Cup of Nations in his home nation of Cameroon.

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AMSTERDAM - Ajax goalkeeper André Onana was banned for one year by UEFA in a doping case on Friday and is set to miss next year's African Cup of Nations in his home nation of Cameroon.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/02/2021 (2022 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

AMSTERDAM – Ajax goalkeeper André Onana was banned for one year by UEFA in a doping case on Friday and is set to miss next year’s African Cup of Nations in his home nation of Cameroon.

Onana tested positive for furosemide, a banned diuretic often used as a masking agent to hide the presence of other drugs, in a urine sample given last October.

After feeling unwell, Onana said he took a pill prescribed for his girlfriend from a packet he mistook for aspirin “because the packaging was almost identical.”

Ajax's goalkeeper Andre Onana, top left, makes a save during the group D Champions League soccer match between Ajax and Atalanta at the Johan Cruyff ArenA in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

“I just want to clarify that everything was the result of a human mistake,” Onana said in a statement, describing the UEFA ban as “excessive and disproportionate.”

Anti-doping rules make athletes liable for banned substances in their body, though they can argue they were not at fault or negligent.

Onana and Ajax said they will appeal against the ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

“We had hoped for a conditional suspension or for a suspension much shorter than these twelve months, because it was arguably not intended to strengthen his body and thus improve his performance,” Ajax managing director Edwin van der Sar said.

Although Onana’s positive test was in October, he continued to play in domestic competitions and the Champions League. Ajax placed third in its group, which was won by Liverpool.