LONDON, May 19. (dpa/EP) –
Tottenham striker Chioma Obogagu has been banned from playing for nine months after testing positive for two doping tests, the English Football Association (FA) announced on Thursday.
The 29-year-old soccer player and international with England three times, admitted the infractions for using canrenone, a diuretic that is prohibited and that was detected in a urine sample last October.
The independent regulatory commission, which imposes these sanctions, accepted that Obogagu committed the violations unintentionally, while Tottenham alleged that this substance was found in a medication that their player took for acne, which was prescribed to her in the United States and that she I didn’t know it was prohibited.
“The player has been charged with two counts of breaching the FA’s anti-doping regulations for the presence and use of canrenone, a prohibited substance that was detected in a urine sample during a squad test on October 7, 2021,” the FA explained.
The commission stressed that Obogagu “admitted the two violations of the code.” “The commission has accepted that they were committed unintentionally, and has found that she committed them without significant fault or negligence on her part during the subsequent hearing,” he stressed.
“Chioma takes full responsibility for the charges and deeply regrets her actions, admitting a lack of knowledge and care on her part,” Tottenham said in a statement, while the player also apologized. “I want to apologize to my teammates and the staff for not being able to be on the pitch. The club has supported me at all times during the process and I greatly appreciate all their help,” she stressed.
“I want to clarify that the medication had no effect on my performance, but I still made the mistake of not being as diligent as I should have been, and as a result, I am unable to play the sport I love until I complete my suspension,” he said.