Chioma Ubogagu suspended for doping violation, FA announced today. The 29-year-old will not be able to involve in any football activities for 9 months.
The Tottenham forward explained that a banned substance was detected in her sample in October 2021. Ubogagu, who joined Tottenham last year, said that she used acne medication, that has been prescribed during her time in the United States, and was unaware that the treatment is on the list of banned substances. Despite the substance doesn’t give any advantage in terms of performance, it can be used to mask other substances. Together with the club, they tried to ask for Therapeutic Use Exemption, which was denied. As a consequence, Ubogagu has been suspended for a total of 9 months and will be able to return to trainings in October.
“That happened as I was leaving Real Madrid last year, so I went to the dermatologist I’d been seeing in the States, where my family lives, and she prescribed these two drugs: minocycline and spironolactone. At the time, I didn’t think anything of it. Obviously, I should’ve known better, but it never occurred to me to check them on the banned substances list. My dermatologist knew I played football professionally, and I never had any issues with anything she’d prescribed me before. Nothing could’ve seemed less performance-related than skin treatment,” wrote Ubogagu in her letter on theplayerstribune.com.