Sports World: Ajax goalkeeper gets one-year doping ban

AMSTERDAM • Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana has been suspended for 12 months by Uefa for violating doping rules, the Dutch Eredivisie leaders confirmed yesterday.

Traces of the banned substance furosemide were found in the Cameroon international's urine during an out-of-competition test on Oct 30.

Onana, who is Ajax's No. 1, claimed he had accidentally taken his wife's medicine, but this is the second major blow for the club this week after an administrative error meant they failed to register record signing Sebastien Haller for the Europa League knockout rounds.

REUTERS

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Liverpool barred from travelling to Leipzig

BERLIN • RB Leipzig will not be able to host Liverpool in the Champions League this month after authorities refused to issue a travel permit for the English champions, German media reported on Thursday.

German federal police rejected an application by the Bundesliga side for a special permit that would have allowed Jurgen Klopp's men to travel to Leipzig for the last 16, first-leg tie on Feb 16 despite Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.

Leipzig will now have to find an alternative venue for the clash and must inform Uefa of any change by Monday, reports said.

REUTERS

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Covid curbs derail Mayweather fight

TOKYO • Boxing great Floyd Mayweather's exhibition fight in Tokyo this month has been postponed because of coronavirus restrictions, organisers announced yesterday.

Retired former champion Mayweather (50-0) was scheduled to fight against an unnamed opponent at Tokyo Dome on Feb 28, but organisers pulled the plug with Japan's borders closed to almost all foreign arrivals.

His fight against YouTuber Logan Paul, which was scheduled for Feb 20, was also delayed last week but the American, 43, hopes the bouts can be rescheduled "within the year".

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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Seto wins first race after ban for affair

TOKYO • Japan's top Olympic swimmer Daiya Seto has thanked his wife for standing by him after winning his first race at the Japan Open following a national team suspension for having an affair.

The three-time world champion and a medal hopeful at the Tokyo 2020 Games returned to the pool for the first time since his three-month ban in October to win the men's 400m individual medley in a time of 4min 12.57sec on Thursday.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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One more team for Tour de France

PARIS • The Tour de France is adding a team this year, organisers announced on Thursday, saying all three Grand Tours have received permission to invite 23 outfits of eight riders.

This signals a change of direction by the Tour, which cut teams from nine riders to eight in 2018, reducing the peloton from 198 cyclists, which was deemed dangerously large.

Tour director Christian Prudhomme said the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic had precipitated the change as "everybody is weakened by the crisis, the teams as well."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE