Soccer:Euro 2012 co-hosts Ukraine have found themselves in an embarrassing position after a candidate for their squad this summer was banned for two years by Uefa after being found guilty of doping.
Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper Olexandr Rybka tested positive for a prohibited diuretic last year, his club confirmed this morning.
Rybka, a former under-21 international, has been capped once for the senior side after making his international debut in a friendly against Estonia last year. He was firmly in contention for a place in the squad for Euro 2012 which begins in June.
The 24-year-old failed a doping test following a league game against FC Karpaty on November 27th, after Uefa representatives paid an unscheduled visit to Shakhtar's training camp.
“According to official Uefa documents, the goalkeeper of our team has been disqualified for two years," the club said in a statement on their website. "From the point of view of Shakhtar club, this is an extraordinarily harsh sentence which does not reflect the scale of the footballer's offence.
“Consequently, Shakhtar will be appealing to the relevant Uefa bodies," the statement said.
The club's general manager, Sergei Palkin, was quoted earlier this month as saying that Rybka had taken a diuretic to lose weight but had not consulted the club's doctor before doing so.
The Ukrainian Football Association has yet to comment on the issue.
Donetsk, the mining city where Shakhtar are based, is one of four host cities in Ukraine, which is sharing the event with Poland.
- Reuters
