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Nine Premier League stars 'escaped ban for failing drugs test', investigation claims

A new report has claimed that nine Premier League players have failed drugs tests in recent years, with one top-flight star testing positive for a banned substance

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An investigation into PED use in the Premier League has concluded(Image: (Image: Getty))

An investigation has revealed that nine Premier League players have managed to dodge penalties after failing drug tests.

This includes an unnamed top-flight player who reportedly tested positive for human chorionic gonadotropin in the 2019-20 season, a substance usually used for treating infertility or low testosterone levels.

This substance is on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)'s banned substance list. Yet, the player convinced the powers-that-be that it was not an anti-doping violation and got off scot-free.

READ MORE: Paul Pogba was 'tricked' into taking banned substance, ex-France team-mate claims

READ MORE: Paul Pogba speaks out after doping ban and admits he's 'heartbroken' at verdict

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An investigation by The i newspaper shows these nine players are part of a worrying trend in the Premier League. What's more stunning is that nearly half of all pro players were not tested for banned substances after their matches in the 2022/23 season.

It turns out that last season, UKAD was busy doing a whopping 2,918 tests across the Premier League, Championship, and Leagues One and Two, hunting specifically for performance-enhancing drugs. These surprise checks could happen anytime during training, at home, or post-match.

What do you think about the results of the investigation? Let us know in the comments section

[Premier League]

One Premier League star reportedly tested positive for human chorionic gonadotropin(Image: (Image: Getty))

Despite this, The FA says it's running "one of the world's most comprehensive national anti-doping testing programmes". Most of these tests are said to be focused on the Premier League, which has a roster of about 500 players, reports the Express.

The news follows a four-year ban for Paul Pogba, the ex-Manchester United and Juventus player. Italy's National Anti-Doping Tribunal handed out the punishment after the French midfielder tested positive for testosterone metabolites last August.

Having vowed to fight to clear his name, Pogba has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and denies any wrongdoing. The ban won't be over till he turns 34 as it stands.

[Paul Pogba]

Paul Pogba has been banned for four years but hopes to clear his name(Image: (Image: Getty))

It's putting the spotlight on drug use in football. Ex-United stars Gary Neville and Roy Keane reckon they've played fixtures against players who "were not clean".

Neville admitted on the Stick to Football podcast: "There are a couple that stick in my mind and I'm going to say this for legal reasons, I think there were a few teams that we played against who weren't clean. We thought it at the time."

Keane added to the conversation, recalling: "We played certain teams, I would be walking off and would be absolutely shattered." He emphasised: "I would be looking at the players I played against, a couple of Italian teams, and they looked like they've not even played a match."

[Gary Neville defended the game using the opening 15 minutes]

Gary Neville admitted teams would run more than Man Utd in the past(Image: The Overlap/Youtube)

Finally, ex-England defender Neville had one last say on the issue: "You look back at what came out after in cycling and other sports and doctors and then you think, 'Hang on? ' Physically, we were fit, we weren't drinkers.

"I came off a pitch against an Italian team and thought, 'That's not right. That's not right, I'm sorry'. And I know that a couple of the other lads, mid-2000s, thought exactly the same thing."

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