Soccer: De Boer appeal ‘‘partially upheld’’
Frank de Boer is waiting for the official go-ahead to rejoin Holland’s World Cup campaign after UEFA today reduced his one-year ban for failing a drugs test.
The Holland captain’s appeal was ‘‘partially upheld’’ and his suspension will now only run until August 31.
But the Barcelona defender still has a FIFA ban outstanding and this will need to be lifted if he is to play in the World Cup qualifier against the Republic of Ireland on September 1.
However it is widely expected that FIFA will now follow the lead of their European counterparts.
The former Ajax star appeared before the UEFA panel today and yesterday at their headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
UEFA confirmed in a statement: ‘‘The appeal is partially upheld and the decision of the control and disciplinary body modified in so far as the suspension on Frank De Boer is reduced and the player suspended until August 31.’’
De Boer tested positive for excess amounts of nandrolone following Barcelona’s UEFA Cup match against Celta Vigo on March 15.
The 31-year-old was banned by European football’s governing body on June 14 while, earlier this month, FIFA followed suit and also imposed a one-year ban.
UEFA’s appeals body concluded today: ‘‘It is more than likely that the appellant took the prohibited substances by means of contaminated food supplements.’’
In a list of four conclusions, it stated that ‘‘there was a doping offence’’ and that the analysis of De Boer’s samples was ‘‘done in compliance with the current International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules’’.
While UEFA also admitted the substance may have entered De Boer’s body through ‘‘contaminated food supplements’’, they added ‘‘the player assumes the responsibility for control, documentation, inquiry and research for the quality of food or food supplements he takes in’’.
Their decision to lift the ban means he is now free to play for Barcelona in the Champions League once he has served his punishment.
De Boer’s international team-mate Edgar Davids and Portugal captain Fernando Couto had also been banned by FIFA following positive tests for excess nandrolone.
Davids of Juventus and Lazio’s Couto had both been suspended by the Italian football association before FIFA stepped in with their sanction.
However De Boer was never banned by the Spanish authorities because his test happened after a UEFA Cup game.
Nevertheless, the Italian-based pair will wait to hear whether today’s decision by UEFA will lead to a re-think on their situations.
