AFCON
Cote d’Ivoire goalkeeper, Sylvain Gbohouo handed 18-month doping ban
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations hosts, Cote d’Ivoire may not be with their goalkeeper, Sylvain Gbohouo who has been handed an 18-month ban by FIFA. He has been found guity for a doping violation.
The 33-year-old tested positive last year for the banned substance trimetazidine, a heart medication which the World Anti-Doping Agency categorises as a stimulant.
With his ban backdated to 23 December and he will be free to play again on 24 June 2023, just a day after the Afcon finals are expected to kick off.
Gbohouo was provisionally suspended in December and missed this year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
His positive test came after a 2022 World Cup qualifier against Cameroon on 16 November.
“As a result of the presence of the prohibited substance in his sample, the player was found to be in violation of article six of the Fifa Anti-Doping regulations,” said a statement on the Fifa website.
In his defence, Gbohouo said that he was prescribed medicine containing trimetazidine after being taken to a meeting in March 2021 with an opthalmologist by the Ivorian football federation (FIF) itself.
Following an eye examination, he was told to take a medication to improve his retinal blood flow – with Gbohouo telling officials he stopped the treatment halfway through a three-month course given he noticed no improvement.
The FIF, meanwhile, noted as part of its defence for the goalkeeper that “good eyesight” is “essential” for such a player.
Presented with documentation supporting his claims, Fifa adjudged that Gbohouo had unintentionally doped – thus reducing his ban from the standard four years for such an offence to two.
The ban was further reduced by six months after Gbohouo fully corroborated with the Fifa investigators, to whom he outlined the facts of his case.
Gbohouo, who is on the books of Ethiopian club Wolkite City, has 65 international caps and was part of the Ivory Coast squad that won the Nations Cup title in 2015.
-BBC
AFCON
Prominent Libyan football official calls for tough sanction on those responsible for Super Eagles’ maltreatment
A prominent Libyan football official, Al-Siddiq Abu Hadima,has called for tough sanctions on the Libyan Football Federation officials responsible for the crisis that engulfed the suspended Libya-Nigeria Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match.
Hadima, a former president of the Al-Dhahra Club, asked for the dismissal and prosecution of those responsible for the crisis.
In a publication in Libya’s outlet. Al-Wasat, Hadima recommended that if such people failed to submit a report that will exonerate them when the Sunday 20 October deadline issued by CAF lapses, “then they must be prosecuted and permanently dismissed.”
Al-Wasat got Hadima’s comments from his post on Facebook and remarked that “this negligence – if it happened – constitutes a betrayal of trust and a lack of awareness of the gravity of responsibility.”
It will be recalled that the Nigerian delegation to the botched match was held up for close to 20 hours at an abandoned Labraq Airport where their aircraft already on descent was dangerously diverted to.
The Nigerians were left without food and water for nearly 20 hours. CAF has already strongly condemned the actions of the Libyans.
As an investigation into the botched Libya-Nigeria Africa Cup of Nations match, the Libyan FA secretary, Nasser Al-Suwaie has raised queries on the integrity of the personnel of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
In a report published in the online version of Libyaalahrar.tv, Al-Suwaie remarked that there may be collusion from some parties within CAF, but the position of the Libyan Federation is strong.
He added that the Libyan Federation did not change the course of the plane’s landing to Al-Abraq Airport, and the reason for changing the plane’s landing to Al-Abraq was a decision by the Libyan state, and that the sovereignty of the Libyan state must be respected by everyone.
He however was silent on why the team was held hostage at the Al Abraq Airport and why the Libyan FA did not provide any logistic support to the Nigerian team that was held up at the airport for more than 16 hours without food and water.
Sources in Libya have confirmed that the Libyan Football Federation is under investigation over the botched Libya-Nigeria Africa Cup of Nations qualifier which failed to hold last Tuesday.
Nasser Al-Suwaie, Secretary-General of the Libyan FA, reportedly confirmed that the body has been queried by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The Libyan FA has been asked to submit documents related to the cancellation of the match.
According to Libya Al-Ahrar, the FA has given them up till Sunday 20 October to submit the documents related to this file.
The Libyan FA secretary general, Al-Suwaie indicated that the body has assigned a specialized lawyer to provide evidence.
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