Thursday, June 10, 2021 at 3:02 PM• Rian Rosendaal • Last update: 15:10

The international sports tribunal CAS has ruled on appeal in the case of André Onana against UEFA. Earlier, the goalkeeper of Ajax was suspended for twelve months by the disciplinary body of the European Football Association because of the determination of a doping violation. The CAS has now decided on appeal that the suspension will be shortened to nine months, the champion of the Netherlands communicates.

The suspension will end on November 4, 2021 and until then will affect all of Onana’s football activities, both nationally and internationally. The closing post may resume its training activities two months before the end of the suspension, on September 4, 2021. Onana still has a contract with Ajax that runs until June 30, 2022. He is in the interest of Arsenal, which, according to previous reports from the NOS would be willing to pay two million euros if the suspension remained; if it were shortened or deleted, it would be about six to nine million euros.

During a four-hour online session last Wednesday, the goalkeeper told his story to three arbitrators from the CAS, assisted by his lawyers and by Ajax. The CAS was also asked not to impose a sentence on him, or to impose a considerably shorter sentence than the twelve months previously imposed by UEFA. UEFA’s stance was unchanged. The European Football Association wanted the CAS to stick to the 12-month suspension. The goalkeeper was found to have furosemide in his urine after an ‘out of competition’ check on October 30 last year. At the time, he was found positive after a doping test because, according to his statement, he accidentally took a pill from his wife while he wanted to take an aspirin. That pill contained the banned substance.

Edwin van der Sar, general manager of Ajax, responds to the ruling through the official channels of Ajax. “With this ruling from the CAS, we have made a profit for three months compared to the original suspension. So the step to the CAS has not been in vain. We stand for a clean sport. But I repeat that we are convinced that André will do this. substance by accident and certainly not to perform better. This is endorsed by all parties, including UEFA, as is apparent from the treatment at UEFA and the CAS. When we shared our story with André and the lawyers at the CAS last week had done, I drove away from De Toekomst with a good feeling. I have mixed feelings about today’s statement, because our goal was that he should have been allowed to compete again from this summer.”