Athletic Bilbao defender Yeray Alvarez has been suspended for 10 months after testing positive for a banned substance linked to a medicine he used to treat hair loss following cancer treatment.
The 30-year-old tested positive for canrenone, a diuretic that can also act as a masking agent, after Bilbao’s Europa League semi-final clash against Manchester United in May, which ended in a 3-0 defeat.
Uefa confirmed Alvarez’s defence, stating he had unknowingly ingested the substance through a preventative medicine for alopecia. The Spaniard, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2016, said the treatment had been part of his recovery process.
While European football’s governing body accepted that the violation was not intentional, Alvarez was still found guilty of committing a “non-intentional anti-doping rule violation.”
The suspension, backdated to June when he accepted a provisional ban, means Alvarez will be eligible to train again from February 2, 2026, and return to competitive action on April 2, 2026.
Since graduating from Bilbao’s academy, Alvarez has made 257 appearances for the La Liga club, becoming one of their most consistent defenders.