Athletic Club center-back Yeray Álvarez tests positive in doping test

Athletic Club defender Yeray Álvarez has tested positive in a doping test conducted last season following the first leg of the Europa League semi-final between the Basque club and Manchester United.

The footballer made the incident public on his Instagram account, where he also included a statement explaining what happened. The player apparently claims it's due to a hair loss treatment he's taking that contains a banned substance.

Álvarez calls it "a very hard blow." "Honestly, I couldn't believe it, given that I've never used banned substances in my life," begins the player's public statement.

He recalls that since the illness he suffered years ago, testicular cancer, from which he recovered twice, having relapsed in 2017, he has been taking this treatment for alopecia. "We have confirmed that the positive result was because I inadvertently took a preventative medication against hair loss that contained a prohibited substance," he writes.

The player has provided information that "the disciplinary procedure is currently under investigation and is subject to confidentiality." He says he is "provisionally suspended" and is not authorized to make any further public statements.

The Athletic Club youth player is grateful for the club's support, with whom he is working "with the conviction of being able to return to the pitch as soon as possible." "Once the process is complete, I will provide all the necessary explanations," writes the player, who expresses his confidence in the courts and the sporting authorities.

Athletic Club, for its part, "regrets the human error" by Yeray Álvarez , according to a post on social media, and assures that it offers him "its full support."