Report Reveals FIFTEEN Premier League Players Failed Drug Tests Between 2015 And 2020, Not One Of Them Was Banned

At least 15 Premier League players failed drug tests in recent years without receiving a ban, according to a new report.

The Mail on Sunday claim that the 15 players failed tests between 2015 and 2020 and that not one of them was sanctioned.

According to the report, 12 of the positive tests were for banned performance-enhancing substances, with one player still under investigation five months after his initial test.

In total, 88 footballers from England, Wales and Scotland returned 'adverse analytical findings' when tested between 2013 to 2020.

Twelve players tested positive for performance-enhancing substances (Image: PA)

The findings have been released following a series of freedom of information requests to the UK Anti-Doping agency (UKAD).

In the dozen cases of performance-enhancing drugs, there was one positive test for amphetamine and three for triamcinolone, the corticosteroid that Sir Bradley Wiggins used to treat hay fever before winning the Tour de France after being given a therapeutic use exemption certificate (TUE).

The Premier League cases also included four positive test results for the stimulant Ritalin and one for the testosterone booster Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG).

The remaining positives were for the steroids prednisolone and a derivative, as well as the diuretic indapamide, which can serve as a masking agent for other banned substances.

In total, 88 footballers from England, Wales and Scotland returned 'adverse analytical findings' between 2013 to 2020 (Image: PA)

None of the players who tested positive were handed bans, with UKAD saying a decision not to issue a suspension was typically because of accidental ingestion or the player having a TUE.

The Premier League are understood to be comfortable that all 12 'performance-enhancing' cases had innocent explanations, resulting in no punishments from UKAD or the FA.

Meanwhile, the report has also revealed that 24 non-Premier League players in British football returned adverse analytical findings in drug tests in the same period.

Of these 24 players, 15 were sanctioned.

In addition to 'performance-enhancing' drugs, positive tests were also returned for cannabis, cocaine and morphine.

Topics: Premier League, Football

Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan is Editorial Lead at SPORTbible. He has previously worked for Sky Sports News, MailOnline and Reach covering football, cricket, boxing and MMA. Tested daily as a Liverpool fan in a Manchester office.

@rory_ocallaghan