Athletic Bilbao defender Yeray Alvarez has been given a 10-month ban for taking a banned substance found in a medicine used to prevent hair loss following his cancer treatment.
The 30-year-old Spaniard tested positive for canrenone following a 3-0 defeat by Manchester United in the Europa League semi-finals in May.
Canrenone is a diuretic that can sometimes be used as a masking agent.
Uefa accepted Alvarez’s defence that he mistakenly ingested the substance by taking a preventative medicine for alopecia which contained canrenone.
Alvarez, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2016, said he had been taking the medicine as part of his treatment for hair loss ever since.
Given Alvarez accepted a provisional suspension in June, the sanction has been backdated.
He will be able to play again from 2 April 2026 and can rejoin training sessions from 2 February.
Related topics
- Spanish La Liga
- Athletic Bilbao
- European Football
- Football
Source: BBC
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