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In case Mamadou Sakho’s WADA drug test disaster last April doesn’t still fill you with rage at the injustice of it all, UEFA recently came out to admit that the particular drug found in Sakho’s system, higenamine, should not have been flagged in the first place. In fact, it’s not even tested for in several WADA laboratories.
The whole situation came at the worst possible time in Liverpool’s season. After Sakho scored a clutch goal against Borussia Dortmund to help Liverpool win the Europa League quarterfinal at Anfield, he was forced into an initial 30-day suspension when the drug test results were made known. This resulted in the player missing the last eight games of the campaign, including the Europa League semis and final. Winning that final would have also earned Liverpool a place in this season’s Champion’s League competition. Missing out on that opportunity changed the entire season and cost the club a lot of money in lost TV rights.
The 30-day ban also led to Sakho being left off of the France national team roster that summer for the European Championship. To add insult to injury, the Euros were being held in France, so Sakho missed the opportunity to represent his country in a huge tournament on his home turf.
It’s no surprise, then, that there are some hard feelings from Sakho and Liverpool against the World Anti-Doping Agency. Now the ECHO has claimed that both the player and the club are looking at their legal options.
The club hasn’t speak out publicly, but the rumor is that they are seeking advice about possible moves going forward.
Sakho, on the other hand, said of the debacle, “My lawyer can see what happens next but, for me, I focus on other things.”
The central defender is currently on loan with Crystal Palace, who Liverpool will face on Sunday in the Premier League. And while it seems that bridges have been burned between Sakho and Klopp, on the matter of 2015/16’s derailed season, they seem to agree.