On Saturday afternoon, it was confirmed that Mamadou Sakho would not be selected by Liverpool while he appeals his failed drugs test in the aftermath of the Europa League draw with Manchester United on March 17. The substance in question is believed to be a 'fat-burner', and the player has until Tuesday to respond with the understanding being that he wants the 'B' sample test to be carried out.
Officially, Liverpool responded to the news with a brief statement on their website at 1.30pm on Saturday:
Yesterday, Friday 22nd April 2016, a formal communication was received from UEFA stating that they are investigating a possible anti-doping rule violation by Mamadou Sakho.
The player will respond to UEFA on the matter.
The player is currently not subject to any playing suspension. However, the club, in consultation with the player, has decided that while this process is followed the player will not be available for selection for matches.
There will be no further comment at this time.
However, somebody from the club appears to have been speaking in an unofficial capacity to the members of the press, with reports surfacing last night that Sakho has struggled with his weight in the past, and that he was omitted by Brendan Rodgers at the beginning of the season for being overweight. Here is an excerpt of the report from the Liverpool Echo:
Sakho has had issues with his weight since joining from Paris Saint-Germain three years ago. He was out of shape when he reported back for pre-season training last July with concerns raised by staff about his diet and his lifestyle.
His being out of shape is allegedly why Brendan Rodgers selected Dejan Lovren and Martin Skrtel in preference to the French defender at the beginning of the season. However, it is very difficult to ascertain the veracity of this claim about Sakho's fitness levels. Sakho's poor level of fitness was referenced by Rodgers at the beginning of the season, although many felt at the time this as a reference to the muscle injuries frequently picked up by Sakho:
Rodgers suggested fitness concerns were one of the key reasons why Sakho had been left out of the team in favour of Dejan Lovren earlier in the season.
He said of the Frenchman, who signed a new five-year contract on Friday: “He was excellent in the week. The thing with Mama has been about keeping him fit and making sure he is at a peak level of fitness to play the games.
That was always something that was a concern but he's worked very, very hard on that aspect of his game and I think he's come back into the team in the week and today and was excellent".
Yet this would seem discordant with this story by the Liverpool Echo in July. The headline ran 'Watch: Awesome Sakho prepares Liverpool FC return - and he looks in great shape", and was accompanied by this video:
Why are these reports being leaked now? The timing is all a little convenient, and may be an effort by Liverpool to spin the story in their favour, exculpating themselves from the blame by giving Sakho a personal motive.
Liverpool's owners Fenway Sports Group have proved to be masters of spin in the past. Following the Boston Red Sox's collapse in the 2011 MLB season, this expose in the John W Henry owned Boston Globe blamed a humiliating final month of the season largely on recently-fired coach Terry Francona, claiming that the coach as distracted by off-field matters:
By numerous accounts, manager Terry Francona lost his ability to prevent some of the lax behavior that characterized the collapse. Team sources said Francona, who has acknowledged losing influence with some former team leaders, appeared distracted during the season by issues related to his troubled marriage and to his health.
Francona spent the season living in a hotel after he moved out of the Brookline home he shared with Jacque, his wife of nearly 30 years. But he adamantly denied his marital problems affected his job performance.
