Liverpool and France defender Mamadou Sakho will see his anti-doping violation ban extended to cover all matches – domestic and international – for the next month.
According to the Liverpool Echo via FIFA.com, Sakho’s will receive a 30-day ban from all football continuing from April 28, 2016. As a result, the Liverpool centre-back will miss the remainder of the club’s matches in the Premier League and Europa League.
The statement from FIFA read as follows:
“The chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided to extend the sanction imposed on 28 April 2016 by the chairman of the Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body of UEFA on the French player Mamadou Sakho for an anti-doping rule violation to have worldwide effect in accordance with article 136 ff. of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.
“As a consequence, Mr Sakho is provisionally suspended worldwide for 30 days as of 28 April 2016 in accordance with the terms of the decision passed by the chairman of the Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body of UEFA. This suspension covers all types of matches, including domestic, international, friendly and official fixtures.
“The decision of the chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee was notified today to The Football Association Ltd., the French Football Association and UEFA.”
The 26-year-old back did not dispute the charges after testing positive for a banned substance this past April. The positive test resulted in his removal from the first-team squad by manager Jurgen Klopp.
Sakho was most recently capped for France in the friendly against Russia and was projected to get named to the roster for Euro 2016 by manager Didier Deschamps. Though the ban will end right before the start of the tournament, his absence from all football over the next month will almost certainly give the French boss pause to reconsider his options.
Follow Jonathan Machlin on Twitter @jtmlovessports
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