UEFA slams WADA over poor handling of Mamadou Sakho case

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 20 April 2017

UEFA slams WADA over poor handling of Sakho case

UEFA questions WADA's handling of Mamadou Sakho's drug case last year, claiming that they were wrong to flag up the use of Higenamine as a banned substance.

European football governing body UEFA has criticised the World Anti-Doping Agency for wrongly flagging up a positive drug test by Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho after he took a fat-burning substance.

The France international was suspended towards the tail end of last season, initially being given a 30-day ban for his use of Higenamine when tested following the second leg of the Reds' Europa League quarter-final tie with Manchester United.

Sakho was forced to sit out Liverpool's Europa League final meeting against Sevilla, as well as being overlooked for selection by host nation France for Euro 2016 on home soil, although it later emerged that a communication breakdown led to the defender being incorrectly punished.

UEFA has now slammed WADA for the error, releasing a statement that read: "It is clearly not possible for anyone, laboratory disciplinary body, football player or otherwise to know whether or not Higenamine is a prohibited substance by reading WADA's prohibited list.

"The fact that the Cologne laboratory tested for Higenamine but had to check with WADA before making a determination indicates a problem, as does the fact that the Lausanne laboratory does not test for it. The onus is clearly on WADA to communicate to its laboratories what is and what is not on the prohibited list."

Sakho, currently on loan with Crystal Palace, was given the green light to continue playing last summer but he failed to get any minutes due to a falling out with manager Jurgen Klopp.