Athletic Bilbao centre-back Yeray Álvarez has been suspended for 10 months due to a failed doping test after a Europa League match, European soccer’s governing body Uefa announced on Monday.
The 30-year-old Spaniard tested positive for canrenone, a substance prohibited in and out of competition, after Bilbao’s 3-0 home defeat by Manchester United in the semi-finals of Uefa’s second-tier club competition in May.
Álvarez, who voluntarily accepted a provisional suspension in June, stated the following month that he unintentionally ingested a banned substance in medicine used to treat hair loss. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2016 and said he had been taking the medicine as part of his treatment for alopecia.
“At its meeting on 19 August 2025, the relevant Uefa disciplinary body decided to suspend the player for 10 months, starting from the date of the provisional suspension (2 June 2025) and ending on 2 April 2026, for committing a non-intentional anti-doping rule violation,” Uefa said in a statment.
“In accordance with Article 10.14.2 of the Uefa anti-doping regulations, the player may return to train with a team or use the facilities of a club in the last two months of his period of ineligibility, as of 2 February 2026.”
Álvarez came through Bilbao’s youth academy and has made 257 appearances in all competitions for the senior team.
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