In December 2021 the English Football Association (FA) has reported an anti-doping rule violation against the football player Chioma Ubogagu after her sample tested positive for the prohibited substance Canrenone.
After notification a provisional suspension was ordered. The Athlete filed a statement in her defence and she was heard for the FA Regulatory Commission.
The Athlete gave a prompt admission and explained that the source was the new anti-acne medication she had used prescribed by her dermatologist. She acknowledged that she had to check this product for prohibited substances before using.
The Athlete had mentioned her prescription for Minoxycline on the Doping Control Form, yet not her new prescription for Spironolactone. Thereafter her application for a retroactive TUE in December 2021 was rejected.
The FA Commission considers that the prescribed medication was used as treatment of her medical condition. She was tested before without issues when she used prescribed medication for some years while she assumed that the medication she mentioned in the Doping Control Form was sufficient for both subscriptions.
The Commission finds that the presence of a prohibited substance has been established in the Athlete's sample and accordingly that she committed an anti-doping rule violation. Both the FA and the Commission accepts that the violation was not intentional and that the Athlete acted with No Significant Fault or Negligence.
Therefore the FA Regulatory Commission decides on 20 April 2022 to impose a 9 month period of ineligibility on the Athlete starting on the date of the provisional suspension, i.e. 18 January 2022.
