Athletic Clubs will impose a 10-month ban after failing drug tests without Yeray Alvarez for Champions League opener against Arsenal
Arsenal is expected to have an advantage as they don’t have key players for opening Champions League matches. Gunners are keen to demonstrate their ability to compete in multiple tournaments against the LA La Liga team on Tuesday evening.
Following a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest over the weekend, Arsenal’s focus will move into the Champions League, aiming to improve last season’s final champion’s semi-final loss against PSG. Team depth is greatly boosted between the transfer windows, as evidenced by the performance of the new signature against the forest.
Gunners head to the San Mamemes to face athletic club teams participating in their first Champions League campaign since the 2014/15 season. But manager Ernesto Valverde has dealt with several injuries and will not have defender Jae Alvarez due to the 10-month ban on banned substances.
It has been revealed that Alvarez has been suspended after testing positive for Canlennon following a 3-0 first leg loss to Manchester United in the Europa League semi-finals last season. The 30-year-old claimed that he accidentally consumed the substance as part of a drug used to prevent hair loss, the stage he took, since receiving cancer treatment, which was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2016.
UEFA admitted that Alvarez inadvertently consumed the banned substance, but the centre-back still received the 10-month ban and accepted it in June. This means that he can resume training two months ago, but he will not be eligible to return until April 2, 2026.
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According to BBC Sport, canrenone is a diuretic that could potentially function as a masking agent. Speaking on social media earlier this summer, Alvarez shared his thoughts on his ban and regrets about material trouble.
He states: “After studying the incident, I established that I tested positive because I unintentionally took a hair removal drug containing a prohibited substance.
“The disciplinary process is currently under investigation and is subject to confidentiality. Therefore, I have been temporarily suspended and am not permitted to issue any further official statements. I am very sorry about this situation, but with the support of the club, I believe I believe I can return to the field of play as soon as possible.”
Alvarez has remained athletic throughout his career, working through the famous youth system and has made 257 appearances in Basque outfits. He made 29 appearances for the athletics in all competitions last season.
Boss Valverde is not with Alvarez for the Arsenal match, but he hopes to turn to fellow defender Dani Vivienne. The 26-year-old was shown a straight red card against Manchester United after putting Rasmus Hozilund in the box in the first game of the Europa League semi-finals last season.
Despite his red card, Vivian served as a one-match ban – missing Old Trafford’s return leg. This means Arsenal’s opponents will be able to use Spanish International Vivian, the choice of against gunners, on Tuesday.
It’s the first game in the league phase, but it’s important to note that players from both teams will win yellow cards. Three bookings that do not include red cards in different matches lead to a ban on one match, and the total yellow card in the league phase will also be carried over into the knockout round.
Similarly, UEFA says players will be given a ban on one match “after a strange number of attention that follows.” However, these tallies are wiped clean at the end of the quarterfinals. This means that players can only stop in the final by receiving the red card.
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