Mamadou Sakho Drug Ban Fate to be Decided by UEFA Early Next Month

Although a firm date is yet to be set, Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho won’t have to wait much longer to find out if UEFA will impose a further ban on him after a failed drugs test back in March sidelined him for not only the remainder of the Reds season, but effectively ruled him out of action for the European Championships this summer.

“To my knowledge, the disciplinary committee will decide fairly quickly on the case,” UEFA chief medical officer Marc Vouillamoz told French media outlet L’Equipe. “Information was taken from experts, documents were passed to the defence of the player,” he continued, adding that the Sakho will now have a chance to present his side of the case and make a case for them to forgo any further punishment. “Now the player has the opportunity to speak, and once the player has given his opinion, the commission will look very quickly.”

The European governing body opted not to extend the provisional 30-day ban initially imposed on Sakho and instead will review whether the banned substance — reported to be a fat burner — should even be included on the WADA anti-doping list at all. While that bodes well for his cause, that doesn’t mean that he’s definitely going to get off scot-free with the possibility of a further sanction hanging over his head.

With Kolo Toure released by the club and Martin Skrtel looking likely to depart, the Reds could be forced to dip into the transfer market for some defensive cover should UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body take further action against the Frenchman. Highly rated Schalke 04 defender Joel Matip is set to arrive on a free this summer and up and coming central defender Joe Gomez will be fit to return to the line-up after recovering from a serious knee problem, but Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp could be without vital experience in the back-line should Sakho be handed a hefty ban.