No Significant Fault: Andre Onana Returns After Falling Foul Of UEFA's Anti-Doping Regulations
Andre Onana, the first team goalkeeper for AFC Ajax (“Ajax”) and the Cameroon national team, played his first competitive match for over nine months on 13 November 2021, when he started for Cameroon in a 4:0 victory over Malawi in a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 African Qualifier.[1]
Prior to this match, Onana had been subject to a 9-month suspension from all football-related activity for violating UEFA’s Anti-Doping Regulations 2018 (“UADR”). Due to the nature of the suspension, Onana was only permitted to return to first-team training in September 2021 and in fact only resumed first-team training of any kind on 28 October 2021, when he joined up with the Ajax senior side, following a short spell training with the Ajax U21s.
Specifically, this article examines
To continue reading or watching login or register here
Already a member? Sign in
Get access to all of the expert analysis and commentary at LawInSport including articles, webinars, conference videos and podcast transcripts. Find out more here.
- Tags: AJAX | Anti-Doping | Athlete Rights | Athlete Welfare | CAS | Dispute Resolution | Regulation | Specified Substance | UEFA Doping Control | WADA
Related Articles
- A guide to the main changes under the 2021 World Anti-Doping Code
- Why WADA 2021’s new ‘Substances of Abuse’ regime needs urgent clarity
- What will the Rodchenkov Act mean for the fight against international doping in sport?
- 2021 WADA Code – Reduced Sanctions For Substances Of Abuse, Multiple Violations And Recreational Athletes
- The FA V Nathaniel Mendez-Laing – A New Approach To Substances Of Abuse In Sport
- Comparing Approaches to Anti-Doping: WADA, MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL & UFC: Part 2
Written by
Luke Carney
Luke Carney is the head trainee solicitor at Squire Patton Boggs (UK) LLP’s Birmingham office. He joined the firm in 2020 and is a 4th seat trainee currently working in the Financial Services department. He is also part of the firm’s international Sports and Entertainment Industry Group and one of a number of contributors to the firm’s popular Sports Shorts blog. Luke previously worked as a paralegal in Restructuring and Insolvency in Squire Patton Boggs’ Sydney office and in the firm’s Environmental, Safety & Health department in Manchester.
Thomas Horton
Thomas Horton is a barrister at 39 Essex Chambers.
In sports, Thomas regularly represents and advises clubs, athletes, intermediaries, and other participants involved in regulatory and commercial disputes. Thomas has been ranked as a ‘Rising Star’ (Legal 500, 2022 – London Bar) and a ‘Leading Junior’ for sport (Legal 500, 2024, 2025 and 2026 – London Bar; Chambers and Partners 2026 – London Bar), demonstrating his expertise and growing reputation in this practice area. Thomas regularly appears before sports’ governing bodies’ disciplinary panels and before specialist arbitration panels, including FA Rule K arbitrations. Thomas spent 12 months as an Associate Barrister in Squire Patton Boggs’ sports litigation team from 2021 to 2022. Thomas is also an appointed member of UEFA’s Pro Bono Counsel List (2022-2026) and Sport Resolutions’ Pro Bono Legal Advice Panel.
