Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana has discovered the information of the 'silly mistake' that value him 9 months of his profession.
Onana changed into to begin with banned for 365 days after he changed into found to have ingested the banned substance furosemide. The goalkeeper pleaded his innocence and his rationalization that he had mistakenly taken his associate's medication become popular, however he changed into nevertheless banned for nine months for no longer controlling what he installed his body.
He resumed education in October and has been Ajax's backup goalkeeper this season, that's expected to be his very last year on the membership as he procedures the cease of his contract.
Onana has previously lifted the lid on his mistake. Now, in an interview with The Players' Tribune, he mentioned his shock at simply how intense the punishment turned into.
"UEFA could see it became simply human error, you understand?" he said. "They investigated and I advised them my story. The question they requested the maximum turned into, 'Why do you have got this remedy in your home?'. It was smooth to reply: 'Because of the little one. My accomplice is having a child…These are her capsules'.
"This turned into absolutely now not a few crazy excuse I simply made up. I didn’t invent anything. I wasn’t trying to cheat. All the proof become there. This was just a silly mistake.
"After the entirety, I assumed they might be like, 'O.K., these items appear. It’s a mistake. Be greater careful next time'. To positioned it in football phrases, I concept they could show me a yellow card. But nah, they went straight for the crimson. Twelve months ban. No soccer. Eredivisie? KNVB Cup? Europa League? Champions League? AFCON? Gone. Just like that. One 12 months for a footballer? It’s like 10 years. It’s an eternity.
"I get it. The regulation is the regulation, right? You f*** up, you pay the price. And I paid. But on occasion you marvel, are they punishing you to train you a lesson, or are they doing it simply to hurt you?"
However, no matter the plain downside to the ban, Onana become adamant that he took not anything however positives from the scenario.
"In a manner, I wanted this year to get that cognizance lower back," he confessed. "Listen, I’m not gonna get down on my knees and say thanks for the ban — f*** that — however it helped me to take a step lower back and see what’s without a doubt important. I trained like I’ve by no means skilled earlier than. Like a gadget. Anyone who saw me then could now not have notion, This is a guy who's suspended.
