Michael Byrne Anti-Doping Rule Violation

Michael Byrne Anti-Doping Rule Violation


The Irish Sports Council and the Football Association of Ireland jointly announced today that the Irish Sport Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel has determined that Michael Byrne who plays for Wexford Youths, has committed an anti-doping rule violation.

The Panel found that, contrary to Article 2.1 of the Irish Anti-Doping Rules, the presence of a prohibited substance or its metabolite, cannabis, was found in a sample of the player’s urine collected during in-competition testing at a match at Athlone Town Football Club between Wexford Youths and Athlone Town on the 26th September 2009.


Read more at www.loi.ie

yeah i read that, pretty boring stuff, why do they even bother to test for that!

It's performance enhancing. Rumour has it, they used to make Claudio Gentile smoke a joint the size of his arm before they'd let him out of his cage.

So let me get this straight.

1. He admitted to the offence on Nov 2nd (the day of the Wolves game) - over a month after the sample given, how soon would they have got a result from the A sample results?
2. He will serve his suspension backdated to from that day
3. The three month suspension will be up in 13 days time, a full month before competitive football starts once more.
4. He was not provisionally suspended by the the authorities on his admission. There were three games played since, one of which was that friendly game with Wolves, meaning that he will have effectively been banned from senior competition for doping offences for two games. However, as best I can see, he wasn't really playing much anyway, according to the Wexford website. Did Mick formally suspend him / kick him off the team?

Don't get me wrong, I don't like to see Wexford (particularly, but anyone generally) being punished for what an individual player did on his own account. I am just shocked at the lackadaisical approach to doping that exists in the management of the league.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bluebeard

So let me get this straight.

Did Mick formally suspend him / kick him off the team?

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He was never really heard of since (or before on the senior squad) so I imagine so.

I suppose you would be more relaxed for the big games :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Darkglasses

He was never really heard of since (or before on the senior squad) so I imagine so.

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That was the impression I got reading the article. Fair play to Mick if he did, as you don't want word of doping (whatever it might mean) hanging around, and seeing as the authorities aren't too pushed to be firm on the matter.