Barcelona stars Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski 'violate' anti-doping rules as UEFA issue ban
Barcelona superstars Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski have been punished for breaching UEFA anti-doping rules.
In just over a week, La Liga champions Barcelona begin the defence of their title with a 2025/26 season opening fixture against RCD Mallorca.
The Spanish giants will look to continue their spectacular run of form under Hansi Flick that led to them win a treble of domestic trophies while reaching reaching the Champions League semi-finals.
However, before they get their season underway, star players Yamal and Lewandowski have found themselves in bother with UEFA for breaching the governing bodies' anti-doping rules.
Advert
The shocking news, which related to the aftermath of Barcelona's Champions League semi final against Inter Milan, means that both players have been handed a punishment by UEFA.
According to a report from Spanish outlet Marca, UEFA believes that both players failed to comply with the instructions of the Anti-Doping Control Officer and failed to immediately report to the Control Post as required by the official regulations.
As such, they have both been immediately fined €5,000 (£4,336)
But UEFA's punishments didn't stop there, as manager Flick has been fined €20,000 (£17,339) and banned for one match in UEFA club competitions for breaching the general principles of conduct and violating the basic rules of decent conduct.
Assistant coach Marcus Sorg, has also received the same punishment for the same reasons as Flick.
Meanwhile Barcelona as a club will have to pay pay €5,250 (£4,551) for throwing objects €2,500 (£2,167) for lighting fireworks during the match.
The decision comes from UEFA's Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Committee, with all of the sanctions taking effect immediately, impacting Barcelona's next European match.
Which match will Hansi Flick and Marcus Sorg be suspended for?
Despite UEFA's ruling, it is not yet known exactly which match Flick and Sorg will be sidelined for as they await results from the ongoing Champions League qualifying campaign.
The 2025/26 Champions League will get underway from 16 September, with several of the biggest clubs in Europe in action.
With the second legs of the final qualifying round set to be contested on August 26 and 27, the draw for the league phase will take place the following day on August 28.
It is then that we will learn exactly which match Barcelona will have to play without both their manager and assistant coach.
Ben McCrum