France and Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho has failed a drug test and now faces investigation by UEFA.
Sakho faces a six-month ban after he was tested positive for a prohibited substance. The substance is believed to be a fat-burner that helps in losing weight. The test was carried after the second leg against Manchester United in the Europa League on March 17.
Sakho will have up to Tuesday to have his B-Sample checked before official confirmation about the failed test.
It is understood that Jurgen Klopp, Sakho and the club as a whole have decided to sideline the defender until after his B-Sample test results are none. He will not be available for selection in the Premier League and in Liverpool’s upcoming Europa League semi-finals on Thursday. If the results for the B-Sample test match the first test, a lengthy suspension might be lurking for Sakho. A similar situation happened to Kolo Toure when he was with Manchester City.
Liverpool will not be sanctioned, for a club to be sanctioned, two players will have to fail the test. As it stands, Sakho is the only Liverpool player under investigation.
Without doubt this will be a big blow to Liverpool as Sakho has been one of their standouts in recent weeks. Sakho is one of the players who has improved most under the management of Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool issued a statement on Saturday saying, ‘Yesterday, a formal communication was received from Uefa stating that they are investigating a possible anti-doping rule violation by Mamadou Sakho. The player will respond to Uefa on the matter.
‘The player is currently not subject to any playing suspension. However, the club, in consultation with the player, has decided that while this process is followed the player will not be available for selection for matches.’
Sakho joined Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain in 2013 and has become a fan favourite, scoring three goals in about 80 games. The Frenchman might also be in danger of missing out on the Euro 2016 this summer.
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