Liverpool’s French defender Mamodou Sakho is under investigation by UEFA after failing a drugs test.
The 26-year-old is reported to have tested positive for a fat burning drug after the Reds’ Europa League win against Manchester United on March 17th. The former PSG star was left out of Liverpool’s squad for their 2-2 draw with Newcastle on Saturday, with the club deciding not to call up the player during the investigation.
UEFA have stated that they’ve not started any disciplinary proceeding yet, while Sakho has until Tuesday to request a B sample.
After the clash with Newcastle which saw Liverpool throw away a two-goal lead, manager Jurgen Klopp said:
I’m really limited what I can say. There’s is an official statement and there’s nothing else to say. It’s not the most easy situation that’s for sure but maybe we can say more when we know more maybe next week.
We changed a lot of players in the last few weeks including at centre-half so I can’t say we missed Mama.
The defender has impressed this season for the Merseysiders, but a subsequent ban could see the centre-half miss out on EURO 2016 where France are the hosts.
As for Liverpool themselves, they won’t be facing any disciplinary charges themselves as the matter only concerns the player himself. However, the news comes at a bad time for Klopp and co., who are soon to face Villarreal in the Europa League semi-finals as well as battling it out for a top-five berth in the Premier League.