Leeds United's Championship rivals suffer major blow as midfielder handed '16-month' ban for anti-doping breach

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The midfielder started against Leeds United in August.

Hull City have been rocked by news their on-loan midfielder Oscar Zambrano has been suspended by the South American Football Confederation for a breach of their anti-doping rules.

Zambrano has been under investigation by the Ecuadorian FA following an issue in March, when he was playing for LDU Quito in his homeland. The 20-year-old has previously maintained his innocence and Hull insist he intends to appeal the decision.

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There has been no confirmation of how long the prospective ban will be but Hull Live report the midfielder could face 16 months on the sidelines, effectively cutting his season-long loan at the MKM Stadium short. He was not in the squad for Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat at Oxford United.

A statement from the Championship club read: “Hull City can confirm that, with immediate effect, CONMEBOL, the South American Football Confederation, has suspended Oscar Zambrano for breaching the anti-doping rules set out in Articles 6 and 7 of the CONMEBOL Anti-Doping Regulations.

“Zambrano and his defence will use their right to appeal this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The club is not in a position to provide further information at this time.”

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Hull opted to sign Zambrano in the knowledge of that ongoing investigation, with their owner Acun Ilicali admitting the ‘risk’ but insisting the club will stand by him in the belief he had done nothing wrong. Both player and club are expected to work together and appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will likely follow.

“All the evidence has been provided to show that there was no intention to take sporting advantage,” Santiago Barragán, Zambrano’s lawyer, told Futbol Ecuador. “There are the blister packs, the batches of pills. We know that there will be a sanction, but it was a moment of emergency.

“It was never about recreational narcotics, nor anabolic [steroids], it is a diuretic medication to reduce swelling, due to an allergy that causes swelling and suffocation. That desperation leads to taking this medication. Diuretics are prohibited because they are taken to erase the remains of illegal substances in sports practice, but in this case that was not the intention, they were faced with an emergency situation and that was proven.”

Zambrano has played eight of Hull’s 14 Championship games this season, starting five with one goal and one assist to his name. The Ecuadorian international started in defensive midfield during his side’s 2-0 defeat at Leeds United in August. Implementation of the prospective ban would mean he will not feature when Daniel Farke’s side head to the MKM Stadium in January.

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Tuesday’s disappointing 1-0 defeat at Oxford leaves Hull 17th in the Championship, following a six-game winless run, and they could drop even closer to the relegation zone if results elsewhere go against them this evening. There is growing pressure on manager Tim Walter, who criticised supporters following Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to bottom-placed Portsmouth.

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