Dinamo Zagreb’s Arijan Ademi failed a drug test after his side defeated Arsenal in the Champions League group stage. The midfielder, who played the full 90 minutes as Zagreb defeated Arsène Wenger’s side 2-1 in September, will face disciplinary proceedings if the B sample also comes back positive.
The Croatian champions issued a statement on the 24-year-old on Wednesday night: “We are aware of the results of the doping control test after the match of the Champions League first round against Arsenal and that our player, Arijan Ademi, was positive, and that Uefa opened proceedings against him.
“According to Uefa rules, Dinamo cannot comment on the case until the B sample is given. Our players have been regularly subjected to doping controls for years after European and league games, and never has anything like this ever happened, so that we have to say that we are surprised by this result.
“Arijan Ademi was tested six times in the last year and each time the report was negative.”
Arsenal are facing elimination from the Champions League after the defeats to Zagreb and Olympiakos at the Emirates, but there is no possibility of the Croatian side facing a points deduction or disqualification for Ademi’s alleged offence, although the player could expect a lengthy ban.
