Crystal Palace defender Mamadou Sakho is suing the world anti-doping agency for £13 million claiming a drug-test blunder torpedoed his career at Liverpool .
Sakho was suspended from football in April 2016 after testing positive for a fat-burning substance following a Europa League tie with Manchester United .
The provisional 30-day suspension meant the France international missed out on Liverpool’s Europa League Final defeat to Sevilla and, he claims, cost him a team place at the Euro 2016 tournament, London’s High Court heard.
He was eventually cleared in disciplinary proceedings before UEFA, with the body finding that the substance - higenamine - was not actually on the banned list.
The 29-year-old is arguing that his earnings as a player and the worth of his personal brand have been reduced by his move away from Liverpool.
But the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) denies it is responsible for his transfer from the European Champions which it says was in reality caused by “disciplinary issues” and a “personality clash” with manager Jurgen Klopp.
In a hearing at the High Court, Sakho’s lawyers told Master Victoria McCloud that his suspension in 2016 had dealt a massive hit to his earnings. He missed games with the France team, had to foot lawyers’ and scientists’ bills and, ultimately, saw the end of his career with Liverpool and transfer to Crystal Palace , said his barrister, Stuart Ritchie QC.
The court heard Sakho had tested positive for the substance - which was present in a dietary supplement he had taken - in a urine test in March 2016.
The laboratory wrote to WADA - which maintains the list of substances banned in world sports - and was told that the substance was on its banned list, under the category “all Beta-2 agonists”.But the list did not specifically name higenamine and UEFA found it was “not proven” that it was on the banned list, clearing and “vindicating” Sakho in July 2016, said his QC.
At the end of the hearing, the judge ordered that the trial on liability - whether WADA was negligent - should take place before the issue of the amount of compensation is considered. The court bill for the case is expected to be well over £1 million.
