Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana has been handed a 12-month ban from the sport, for breaching doping violations.
According to the reports by DailyMail, the Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana had the banned substance Furosemide found in his urine during an ‘out of competition’ check on October 30 last year. And Dutch giants Ajax have sought to offer further context on the situation by issuing a full statement, and have confirmed the ban will be appealed in due course to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
On Friday, Ajax outlined: ‘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.’
Ajax managing director, former Manchester United goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar said: ‘We explicitly renounce performance-enhancing drugs, we obviously 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 years and is very popular with the fans.
‘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 goalkeeper Andre Onana is regarded as one of the top emerging goalkeepers in European football and started his career in the game after being picked up by Barcelona via the Samuel Eto’o academy.
Learning his craft at Barca’s famed La Masia finishing school, Onana switched to the youth ranks of Ajax in 2015, before quickly breaking through to become the first team stopper.
Last summer the 24-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea, as the Blues searched for a replacement for Kepa Arrizabalaga. They ultimately decided on a move for Frenchman Edouard Mendy from Rennes.
Onana is also the first choice goalkeeper of the Cameroon national team, and has made 18 international appearances.