Mamadou "Kirikou" Sakho

So using drugs to make much better blood circulation which in turn improve stamina is not cheating?

The problem is that, unlike in the US, the ingredients of a supplement are sometimes omitted in the UK.  The laws pertaining to disclosure are far less stringent.  It makes it difficult.

Second, clubs don't keep a list of what is acceptable or not in terms of supplements.  They leave it up to the athlete.  It's the same in the US.

This is like messing up your tax return.  In the end, you're responsible.  I'm sure Sakho had his doctor or trainer recommend this product and this person made a mistake.  But in the end, it's Sakho's responsibility.

Every athlete takes supplements.  But your body build immunity to supplements after you take them for a while... so you need to mix it up.  This opens the door for error. The athletes that usually get in trouble for this sort of thing are those that have injury troubles. As a result, they go off their usual supplement cycle to find things that will help them heal faster.

I don't think there was any malicious intent by Sakho. He's not the type. He just got fat because of inactivity due to injuries and wanted to get slimmed down quickly. The story isn't that complicated. It's not like he had no injuries/circumstances and got caught.

Adit wrote:So using drugs to make much better blood circulation which in turn improve stamina is not cheating?

Yes it is, and he should be punished for it.

Adit wrote:So using drugs to make much better blood circulation which in turn improve stamina is not cheating?

no one is saying that. all I'm saying is how much if any can a over the counter supplement improve to the point where it will make you faster and stronger than your opponent. i mean you can buy cough and cold medication from the chemist and get done as a drug cheat for taking it.

So Sakho did NOT request that the B sample be tested and instead opted to accept the charge and plead mitigating circumstances. Looks like he's aiming for a 6-month ban or similar like Kolo's and WILL therefore miss the Euros. Sacrificing his immediate national team future for his (hopefully) mid-term club football future.

"Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho has been suspended for 30 days after UEFA opened disciplinary proceedings against him following his doping violation."

This seems to be out on Sky News. Not a bad news for the player, if you ask me.

what a 30day ban and that's it..

well that is what Sky are reporting. I didnt check any other news yet. But that is a brilliant news for us also, that he will be available in the preseason and start of the next season.

Helmer wrote:well that is what Sky are reporting. I didnt check any other news yet. But that is a brilliant news for us also, that he will be available in the preseason and start of the next season.

Yeeeeeeah, guys, it's not enough to know how to read, you also have to understand what you're reading x)
It's a 30 day provisional suspension while the investigation is conducted, like, "we know you're guilty, here's a 30 day ban while we determine how long your final ban should be". He'll get his actual ban later.

Gamble... but a good one.  The 30 day suspension is automatic and that takes him to May 28.  So unless he gets an answer on his final suspension before the Euro, he could very well participate.  If he had asked for the B samples to be tested, it would have lasted a week and the 30 days auto suspension would have forfeited the Euro.

The way France set up is that they start camp with the 23 + alternatives.... and then after 4-5 days, it gets cut down to the final 23. So he'll be called up unless something happens between now and then.

He's not participating in the Euros, mate. None of this has been about playing in them; it's been entirely about getting back to regular football as soon as possible from the ban. It's time to let that particular string go.

Except his agent in France said that he bypassed the B test so the 30 day auto ban didn't overlap the Euro in case the initial time was considered sufficient by UEFA...  which is why i brought it up.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36161272

"The date of the disciplinary hearing will be announced at a later stage."  He's hoping this occurs after the Euro  Long shot.  But it may work if their investigation is indicating that he's telling the truth.  Missing the first couple of months of a season is one thing... missing a Euro, which happens every 4 years, is quite another.

Not that it means a whole lot.  Umtiti has been playing well and he's really similar to Sakho in terms of style.  It's a bench role anyhow.  Koscielny/Varane are the starters.

I just feel bad for Sakho.  He's battled a lot of different things and he deserves to make the squad at least.

Every action he's taken has been acting in good faith over a mistaken dose of the banned substance. It's the basic approach of a good person who honestly feels they've made an error to help his case in pursuit of as short a ban as possible. It's not some Machiavellian scheme.

The basic purpose of the 30 day ban is that it will apply in the interim until they deliberate, here his side's argument, and decide on a full punishment (as well as act as part of it). The very fact that his ultimate ban's start will be back dated to when this 30-day ban was initiate clearly indicates that there is no realistic expectation, and indeed possibility, that they will not have decided on a full punishment by the end of it. And if by some act of superhuman deity or cosmic coincidence it SHOULD happen, they will undoubtedly further extend the "temporary" ban to cover that extra period.

Massive longshot, I know. He should find out if it's even an option coming up. I think France calls its team for the Euro publicly on May 13th or something like that.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/may/28/mamadou-sakho-no-further-doping-ban

The Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho has been handed a Euro 2016 lifeline after Uefa chose not to extend his suspension from football after a positive drugs test.

The France international was provisionally banned for 30 days on 28 April after being notified by European football’s governing body of an anti-doping offence relating to a test taken after March’s Europa League quarter-final against Manchester United at Old Trafford.


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However, Uefa has decided not to extend that suspension, which is due to expire on Saturday, as they have launched their own investigation into whether the fat-burning substance the centre-back took should even be on the banned list.

Uefa said in a statement: “The 30-day provisional suspension ends today. The chairman of the control, ethics and disciplinary body decided not to extend it. The player would thus be free to play as from tomorrow. A decision on the case will be made within the next few days.”

As a result the case against Sakho remains on file pending those investigations but with his suspension lifted he is technically available for selection by national team boss Didier Deschamps, with national teams having until 31 May to submit their final squads for this summer’s tournament in France.

Sakho submitted his defence to Uefa’s disciplinary committee on Monday and as part of that his legal team questioned whether the substance in the supplement should even be on the prohibited list given some apparent scientific evidence on its effects.

Rather than set a date for a hearing to consider the defender’s case Uefa has instead ordered their own disciplinary body to first look into whether the substance should even be on the Wada list.

Good news I guess.

Integral to how we play, glad to have him back for the pre-season / start of the season.

Disappointed he could play in the final though, even if Kolo (his replacement) was probably our MOTM on the day.

Does a lot to cover Moreno and Lovren, just a beast of a player.

Would be like a new signing. Even better actually. Since he wouldn't be playing in the EURO, it will allow him more time recuperate physically and Mentally.

Hoping he can find some consistency this coming season if he's still with us. It would be really nice to have a strong CB corps of him, Matip, Lovren and Gomez all healthy, playing well and building familiarity.

The doping case against Sakho has been dropped

Unique wrote:fat burners do 2 things. make your heart beat a little faster and make your body run a little hot. for the love of god can anyone tell me how pulpertations and a feaver will give anyone a unfair advantage. imo they ban things that would not in any way give a person a unfair advantage. what over the counter supplement can make a player run faster. stronger and longer.

so UEFA agrees with me.

Damn outrageous that he missed the EL final because of this.

So, now that Sakho is back; what should be our preferred CB partnership:

Lovren-Sakho
Lovren-Matip
Matip-Sakho