Doping bans in football: Football is a widely popular game in the world. Players leave no stone unturned to shine and stand out from the rest. In doing so, some players have resorted to substances or have been charged with the same, while others have been caught in the scandal unintentionally.
The football authorities have put the onus on the players to not allow any prohibited substance to enter their bodies knowingly or unknowingly. However, the sport has been rocked by such cases on some occasions.
Let us have a look at some of the top football players who received doping bans:
Diego Maradona
The legendary football player was magic on the field and was a household name across the globe. However, Diego Maradona had been mired in a doping scandal more than once. His first ban came in 1991 while he was with Napoli. Maradona tested positive for cocaine and thus received a fifteen-month ban.
Once again the same period ban was issued when he was caught being on ephedrine in the 1994 World Cup held in the United States. After that, he went back to his country to join Boca Juniors which also ended abruptly due to being caught doping and along with Maradona also chose to retire from his playing career.
Pep Guardiola
The iconic manager who led Manchester City to a treble in 2023 that included the first UEFA Champions League triumph for the club. But Pep Guardiola was also caught doping once during his playing days. He received a ban in 2001 when he joined Brescia to play in the Serie A after his Barcelona contract expired. The Spaniard was found to be on nandrolone. It was in 2009, he was cleared of all the charges after his appeal.
Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba received a four-year ban after an initial sample was found to be high in testosterone in 2023. The French midfielder reiterated he didn’t know the supplement he was consuming had testosterone. Pogba’s four-year ban was reduced to 18 months earlier this month after the Court of Arbitration for Sport accepted his ingestion of a banned substance “was not intentional”. The 31-year-old was suspended by Italy’s national anti-doping tribunal (Nado) in February.
Andre Onana
Andre Onana served a nine-month ban after his urine was found to contain diuretic furosemide. The goalkeeper once claimed he almost ruined his career when he took his wife’s tablets by mistake.
Also Read: Beyond The Spotlight: The Most Dedicated Players In Football History
Deco
In his football career, the Portuguese midfielder played for Benfica, Porto, Chelsea and even Barcelona before going to retirement in August 2013. In March of the same year, Deco tested positive for a masking substance called furosemide. His ban was officially announced after his retirement so that didn’t hamper his career. Later, Deco appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), after which his samples were retested and his name was cleared. The Rio laboratory that had found him positive was suspended.
