Ajax goalkeeper Onana suspended for 1 year

onemanarmy

Full Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2013
Messages
4,687
Location
Belgium

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. Furthermore, the disciplinary body of the football association has stated that Onana had no intention of cheating. However, the European Football Association believes, on the basis of the applicable anti-doping rules, that an athlete has a duty at all times to ensure that no banned substances enter the body.
Onana and Ajax will appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Managing director Edwin van der Sar: “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. ”
 

11101

Full Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
Messages
21,206
I always thought he looked like a really good young goalkeeper, i guess now we know why.
 

acnumber9

Full Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2006
Messages
22,253
Amazing how many of these poor athletes mistakingly take pills that are prescribed to somebody else. I know I’m always doing that.
 
Last edited:

onemanarmy

Full Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2013
Messages
4,687
Location
Belgium
Lasimac is furosemide which is a diuretic. It's used as a masking agent and he happened to take it by accident. How convenient.


Van der Sar is taking the mick there or absolutely clueless. Obviously the masking agent doesn't improve your performance.
He's just protecting his "asset" I guess. It's immensely stupid by Onana.
 

sun_tzu

The Art of Bore
Joined
Aug 23, 2010
Messages
19,536
Location
Still waiting for the Youthquake
He should have just got a dodgy Asthma diagnosis if he wanted to improve his performance...

So many asthmatic players these days it would never have been picked up

on an unrelated note was it 64% of liverpool players who have asthma?... which is about 50% more than the British Cycling team and about 5 times the national average ...

but yeah I think we can all agree that when it comes to sport

 
Last edited:

Withnail

Full Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2019
Messages
29,333
Location
The Arena of the Unwell
He should have just got a dodgy Asthma diagnosis if he wanted to improve his performance...

So many asthmatic players these days it would never have been picked up

on an unrelated note was it 64% of liverpool players who have asthma?
That's the claim by that one article. It never been substantiated as far as I'm aware.
 

future2future

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Feb 23, 2018
Messages
138
Location
The Netherlands
Lasimac is furosemide which is a diuretic. It's used as a masking agent and he happened to take it by accident. How convenient.


Van der Sar is taking the mick there or absolutely clueless. Obviously the masking agent doesn't improve your performance.
Maybe he smoked a joint and used it to mask and get it out of the system, he's playing in Amsterdam after all. But too much smoke here to think there's no fire
 

Wednesday at Stoke

Full Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2014
Messages
21,629
Location
Copenhagen
Supports
Time Travel
Why would a goalkeeper even need to dope with a blood pressure medication? Even if he is taking it as masking agent for EPO, its completely useless for his position. By the way, taking wife's pill by mistake is the oldest trick in the doping playbook, Peyton Manning claimed he got HGH delivered to his house while recovering from injury for his wife too.
 

sullydnl

Ross Kemp's caf ID
Joined
Sep 13, 2012
Messages
34,063
Every time I see a story like this, I suddenly remember that our own Fred was banned for a year after testing positive for a masking agent. :nervous:
 

Withnail

Full Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2019
Messages
29,333
Location
The Arena of the Unwell
Why would a goalkeeper even need to dope with a blood pressure medication? Even if he is taking it as masking agent for EPO, its completely useless for his position. By the way, taking wife's pill by mistake is the oldest trick in the doping playbook, Peyton Manning claimed he got HGH delivered to his house while recovering from injury for his wife too.
Masking agents aren't specific to EPO abuse are they?
 

Pexbo

Winner of the 'I'm not reading that' medal.
Joined
Jun 2, 2009
Messages
68,413
Location
Brizzle
Supports
Big Days
Dems the rules.
 

do.ob

Full Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2010
Messages
15,567
Location
Germany
Supports
Borussia Dortmund
Furthermore, the disciplinary body of the football association has stated that Onana had no intention of cheating.

This bit is perhaps worth noting. Though I have no idea how freely UEFA give out these.
 

KiD MoYeS

Good Craig got his c'nuppins
Joined
Feb 1, 2010
Messages
32,863
Location
Love is Blind
He got caught but doping is absolutely rife at the highest level of the game I would say. More isn't made about it in the media but probably in everyone's best interest it isn't.
 

DannyCAFC

Full Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2014
Messages
2,409
Supports
Charlton Athletic
Does seem like the most pointless position in football to dope at.
 

UNITED ACADEMY

New Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2018
Messages
13,127
Supports
Erik ten Hag
Why would a goalkeeper even need to dope with a blood pressure medication? Even if he is taking it as masking agent for EPO, its completely useless for his position. By the way, taking wife's pill by mistake is the oldest trick in the doping playbook, Peyton Manning claimed he got HGH delivered to his house while recovering from injury for his wife too.
I thought the same thing as well. I think Ajax can use this as their defense to reduce the ban.
 

AjaxNL

Full Member
Joined
May 27, 2010
Messages
282
This has been a shit week for Ajax fans:

- Onana out for a year (class goalkeeper, really important to the team)
- Haller is accidentally not included in the players list for the EL knock-outs
- Bryan Brobbey, a highly rated yet everything to prove youngster, refusing to sign a contract and leaving on a free at the end of the season
- Quincy Promes transfer to Spartak Moscow looking unlikely, as his court case for an alleged stabbing is complicating matters too much. Promes (shit player) will probably stay at Ajax now, although Ajax already loaned an expensive Idrissi from Sevilla
 

Withnail

Full Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2019
Messages
29,333
Location
The Arena of the Unwell
What else could a blood pressure medication mask? Certainly not testosterone or other hormonal steroids.
I'm no expert but my understanding is that they use diuretics because they dilute the quantity of doping agents in your urine.

It doesn't matter what the drug is prescribed for as long as it has diuretic effects.
 

do.ob

Full Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2010
Messages
15,567
Location
Germany
Supports
Borussia Dortmund
This has been a shit week for Ajax fans:

- Onana out for a year (class goalkeeper, really important to the team)
- Haller is accidentally not included in the players list for the EL knock-outs
- Bryan Brobbey, a highly rated yet everything to prove youngster, refusing to sign a contract and leaving on a free at the end of the season
- Quincy Promes transfer to Spartak Moscow looking unlikely, as his court case for an alleged stabbing is complicating matters too much. Promes (shit player) will probably stay at Ajax now, although Ajax already loaned an expensive Idrissi from Sevilla
You forgot Julian Rijkhoff, or is he not so highly regarded at home?
 

groovyalbert

it's a mute point
Joined
Feb 14, 2013
Messages
9,608
Location
London
This has been a shit week for Ajax fans:

- Onana out for a year (class goalkeeper, really important to the team)
- Haller is accidentally not included in the players list for the EL knock-outs
- Bryan Brobbey, a highly rated yet everything to prove youngster, refusing to sign a contract and leaving on a free at the end of the season
- Quincy Promes transfer to Spartak Moscow looking unlikely, as his court case for an alleged stabbing is complicating matters too much. Promes (shit player) will probably stay at Ajax now, although Ajax already loaned an expensive Idrissi from Sevilla
Damn - and from a club that has been lauded for years for how well it is run. Wouldn't expect that sort of mismanagement from far less reputable clubs. Pull it out Edwin!

RE Onana - is there any suggestion about how he was doing this/will there be any investigation into the club?
 

Withnail

Full Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2019
Messages
29,333
Location
The Arena of the Unwell
Damn - and from a club that has been lauded for years for how well it is run. Wouldn't expect that sort of mismanagement from far less reputable clubs. Pull it out Edwin!

RE Onana - is there any suggestion about how he was doing this/will there be any investigation into the club?
The ruling was that it wasn't intentional. They've accepted his story so that will be the end of it.
 

do.ob

Full Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2010
Messages
15,567
Location
Germany
Supports
Borussia Dortmund
Damn - and from a club that has been lauded for years for how well it is run. Wouldn't expect that sort of mismanagement from far less reputable clubs. Pull it out Edwin!

RE Onana - is there any suggestion about how he was doing this/will there be any investigation into the club?
They deserve all the blame for failing to register their record signing for their EL squad, but I fail to see how it's their fault that Onana takes the wrong pill at home (or is dumb enough to be the one pro who gets caught doping) or that Promes does something stupid in his spare time or that a player doesn't want to extend his contract.
 

Hansi Fick

New Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2020
Messages
5,057
Supports
FC Bayern
Terrible news for Ajax, Onana is a fantastic player.
 

Terminator

Full Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2015
Messages
1,928
Why would a goalkeeper even need to dope with a blood pressure medication? Even if he is taking it as masking agent for EPO, its completely useless for his position. By the way, taking wife's pill by mistake is the oldest trick in the doping playbook, Peyton Manning claimed he got HGH delivered to his house while recovering from injury for his wife too.
Diuretics are not just a blood pressure medication, it is used to treat several other conditions.
 

AjaxNL

Full Member
Joined
May 27, 2010
Messages
282
You forgot Julian Rijkhoff, or is he not so highly regarded at home?
yeah you’re right, forgot about him. Never seen him play, but he was touted as a top talent. Going to Borussia Dortmund. For me, this all has to do with the fact that youth players get remarkably little playing time under Ten Hag. Ajax has bought A LOT of players over the last years, funded by the transfers of De Ligt and De Jong. It has been very hit and miss if you ask me, and all those players are in the way of academy players getting game time. I just don’t like it at all. Furthermore, it puts a lot of pressure on the business model of Ajax, which has always been about developing players and selling high. This squad is relatively old, certainly by Ajax’ standards and there are quite some first XI/first 15 players with little resell value (Blind, Klaassen, Tadic, Labyad, Promes, Haller). To be fair, I will be happy to see the back of Ten Hag this summer, I think time has come to move on..
 

do.ob

Full Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2010
Messages
15,567
Location
Germany
Supports
Borussia Dortmund
yeah you’re right, forgot about him. Never seen him play, but he was touted as a top talent. Going to Borussia Dortmund. For me, this all has to do with the fact that youth players get remarkably little playing time under Ten Hag. Ajax has bought A LOT of players over the last years, funded by the transfers of De Ligt and De Jong. It has been very hit and miss if you ask me, and all those players are in the way of academy players getting game time. I just don’t like it at all. Furthermore, it puts a lot of pressure on the business model of Ajax, which has always been about developing players and selling high. This squad is relatively old, certainly by Ajax’ standards and there are quite some first XI/first 15 players with little resell value (Blind, Klaassen, Tadic, Labyad, Promes, Haller). To be fair, I will be happy to see the back of Ten Hag this summer, I think time has come to move on..
You obviously know better than me about what's going on at Ajax, but to me it looks like the club is aiming for a sweet spot between more experienced players who will stay with the club and give the team a stable spine and their youth prodigies, who can fill in the blanks and develop with less pressure. Financially it's immensely important to make the CL group stages each year and players like Haller (ideally) ensure that.
 

The Urban Goose

Full Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2019
Messages
1,373
Ooh, a peek behind the curtain!

Shhh... It was by accident, and if it wasn't, he's a lone bad apple. Honest, Guv.
 

Physiocrat

Has No Mates
Joined
Jun 29, 2010
Messages
8,913
Do these drugs enhance concentration? Otherwise I really don't see that much benefit of the drugs for keepers. Outfield players fair enough, but not keepers. It is not as if the keeper will become particularly tired.
 

Hansi Fick

New Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2020
Messages
5,057
Supports
FC Bayern
Amazing how many of these poor athletes mistakingly take pills that are prescribed to somebody else. I know I’m always doing that.
And then that mistake just happened to have happened on the morning of the day of a surprise doping test. Terrible luck, what are the chances.
This has to be the most laughable excuse story imaginable.

Furthermore, the disciplinary body of the football association has stated that Onana had no intention of cheating.

This bit is perhaps worth noting. Though I have no idea how freely UEFA give out these.
The ruling was that it wasn't intentional. They've accepted his story so that will be the end of it.
We only have Ajax' summary of the ruling so far. I'm sure the UEFA disciplinary committe will have a statement on the ruling too? Will be interesting to see if they're indeed wording it so explicitly as 'unintentional'.
As for 'the end of it', he's banned for a whole year so that's not nothing,
 

mav_9me

Full Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2009
Messages
12,400
Why would anyone take furosemide randomly for discomfort... Haha what a lame excuse.

This to me is biggest clue of doping in professional soccer.
 

Hansi Fick

New Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2020
Messages
5,057
Supports
FC Bayern
Why would anyone take furosemide randomly for discomfort... Haha what a lame excuse.

This to me is biggest clue of doping in professional soccer.
What I wonder though is.. what's the point of taking a diluting/masking agent to cover up a doping violation when that agent itself is detectable and a doping violation?
Or are there different time spans of effects involved that they're juggling with?