28 Apr 2016 09:37:20
Sakho deserves a 2nd chance. He is a like a breath of fresh air around Liverpool. His charity work has been fantastic. He has taken his hard work in Paris and carried on in Liverpool. Everyone makes a mistake and unfortunatly his mistake will cost him a few months of his lifestyle. The noise coming from some supporters saying he should be sacked is unbelievable. We are a family as ths week has certainly proven so let's all concentrate on his good side - for example when we lost 3-2 to Southampton he travlled back with the club and rather than going home he went straight to the hospital to give his shirt and his time to a little girl who hasn't got long left. What else can i say, great guy who has made a mistake. I know i certainly can't throw stones in a glass house.

1.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 09:57:22
You have to consider what message it would send to the rest of the squad. i. e. It is ok to have 1 failed drug test. You get a ban and then if we like you we will have you back.

Unfortunately it is not ok to have a failed drug test and if the club has any more soon in the future there will be huge ramifications for the club.
You also have to consider what effect it will have on the club's image. Young families will not want their kids idolising a club with a reputation of having drug cheats and sponsors will not want to be associated with a club that has a liberal attitude to it.

This is not just about Sakho, who I like too, it's about the club going forward and ultimately the board has to make a very tricky judgement call. I would not be surprised to see them let him go.
Also if this was Mignolet or Bogdan or another fringe or less popular player would your reaction be the same i. e. Let's have them back after a ban?

2.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 10:01:21
It's too early to say whether he should be sacked or not. We don't know the details and aren't in a position to make that judgement.

3.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 10:24:31
He is a lovely bloke. But it's not about sacking him because he made a mistake.

You have to make an example to the other players. We have screwed up with PR issues in the past. In hindsight Suarez should've been booted straight away after the racism incident. Our club is getting a bad name. We have publically supported a racist diving cannibal, Gerrard has revealed we tap up players, Sakho has been caught taking banned substances, Fulham accused us of tapping up Dempsey the other year, we've refused to waive Bolton's payment which has essentially sealed their relegation as Spearing (their captain) couldn't play, Gotze is doing his best to get Klopp in trouble for tapping up, we've messed Burnley around for 12 months regarding Ings' compensation fee, Agger Sterling Reina and plenty other players have left because of management bust ups/ issues, Rodgers made a fool of the club with his comments on Salah, we have a reputation for messing teams around with derogatory bids for players whose prices have been clearly stated etc.

We need to distance ourselves from all of this. We are getting a bad name. The club is going to become an embarrassment if we continue to support players purely because we like them. Sakho stuffed up and now he must pay the price. Charity work or not. Things need to change or other clubs and the media (even more than ever) will turn on us.

4.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 10:28:04
I agree to with both all these posts above to a certain extent. Sakho has all the resources in the world available to him, mistakes do happen, but at this level and with the information and care (doctors, club scientists, conditioning coaches etc) this is unacceptable. That said, I doubt he did do it with any intention to gain a playing edge through the use of supplements, but purely to help him shed a few lbs.

As for the idolisation of players and that being a reason to release him, I have to disagree. He took a fat burner, he didn't go on a cocaine fuelled weekend bender. I do however, understand the point you make. But there are far worse things to concern your kids about than fat burners, but a line has to be drawn some where, down to interpretation I guess in terms of the severity.

I don't know the ins and outs of what he took and why it's banned but it seems extreme some of the reaction. Personally, I believe the club should keep him, but ultimately suspend him (or at least his pay! ) for the duration.

5.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 10:29:02
To be fair ron it's not seding a message to other players it OK of dealt properly if the club says right we will keep you on but you will not be paid for the time you are suspended and a whopping fine not this one weeks wage bulls**t they won't miss that close to the million bracket and say I want you in everyday (I mean 7 days a week) training if you want to be slimmer we can work on that and get you to what weight you want to be at. yes he made a mistake but haven't we all? No one is perfect we stood by suarez when he took a chunk out of ivanovich or when he allegedly was racist to evra. what the point in having the motto you will never walk alone if we don't stand by it?

{Ed002's Note - That would put Liverpool in breach of contract and open to all sorts of problems.}

6.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 10:29:46
Yes we don't know what the mitigating circumstances are and we do not yet know how the doping agencies and FA will choose to act.

What is clear is that no matter who you are and what sport and who you play for, we give a second chance because he is a good bloke and does a bit of charity work.

I hope that Sakho is found to be just naively negligent, but that still does not excuse a banned substance in his body.

7.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 10:50:06
Ron agree with some of what you say
However how is this different to Toure when he was banned
Most people won't care in 3 years time and probably will forgive and forget
The club stuck by the runt. So let's see what happens.

8.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 10:57:39
I will be most surprised if he survives at the club at all, regardless of a short ban or a long one.

9.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 10:21:46
He took a substance which was banned, he knew exactly what he was doing. No one forced him to take anything. It was his concious choice and now will face a ban from the authority. Either you have one law for all the players or not.
I am not impressed by Kolo Toure openly coming out and supporting Sakho for the exact case he got punishment.
Crap if you ask me. Player should shut thier mouth.

10.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 11:22:00
I don't understand ed what would be the breach of contract?

{Ed002's Note - Liverpool cannot refuse to pay a contracted player and cannot hand out any "whopping" fine.}

11.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 11:23:12
Is it different to Kolo?
Well it happened whilst playing for LFC so in terms of the clubs reputation/ sponsors/ future punishments then "yes" it is very different.
As to the actual crime? I don't know, I'm no expert on "fat burners" either. But my layman's knowledge does lead me to believe if you take stimulants - amphetamines, cocaine etc then you are going to "burn fat".

Calling them "fat burners" does not disguise the fact that they are stimulants and there must be a good reason why they are banned substances. They are not banned to stop players looking slim, they are banned because they can enhance performance.

12.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 11:26:50
The problem is API that it isn't 3 years time yet. You are right. People forgive and forget. Toure paid the price and as time has gone by people have forgiven him and even forgotten the whole thing.

Sakho however has just done this and it is all over the media dragging the clubs name through the mud. "Liverpool star caught cheating", "Liverpool's Europa league hero doping" etc. Nobody cares about Toure doing it anymore.

It's about the clubs image. I get that it seems harsh, even unfair. But Sakho has made a massive error whilst representing our club and for putting us in the spotlight alone, he needs to go.

13.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 11:49:31
It's such a shame ed002. Otherwise we could find him £18 million and refuse to pay him for the rest of his contract - job done 😄.

14.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 11:56:01
So Toure got caught doing the same thing. Did anybody disagree when he signed?
Ferdinand got 8 months and had a lasting career with his team after.

{Ed002's Note - It has nothing to do with anybody else. Whatever happens will be labelled some conspiracy against Liverpool no doubt.}

15.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 12:14:18
What intrigues me the most is how many people backed Suarez and are jumping all over Sakho's back? The racist, the guy who bites. Who remembers his actions now? All i am saying is someone as comendable as Sakho with all the hours he invests in his charity work surely deserves another chance. I can see how much the club and city mean to him and LFC need people like him.

16.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 12:16:13
Toure was at Man City
Rio was never found with a banned substance in his system.

I disagree with Rio's treatment, his case is different. For me it's about the club, not the individual and I think that's how the board will see it. You have to protect the club as a member of the board.

17.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 12:23:49
Is there a difference in punishment between controlled substances and non controlled? For example cocaine and ephedrine (fat burner) . I'm not saying one is worst than the other or clutching at straws just wondering if their is a drug classification when it comes to sport as it is with the law.

{Ed001's Note - it really depends. The distinction is more between performance enhancing and recreational.}

18.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 12:33:58
Quick question, do they not build such things into contracts? Understand that it may come across as disrespectful to players or there may be a legal reasons, however, I don't think it wouldn't be reasonable to include clauses for things like this?

Sorry for my ignorance but with the money involved with signings/ contracts there would be something to protect the clubs investment if they wished to go down that route? Mean if I got a job and the included a clause about drug use or felony charges I'd see why.

{Ed002's Note - Contract would never get signed if you attempted to address all corner cases like this in them. There are contractual clauses that if broken will put one party or the other in breach - hence the sacking of Mutu by Chelsea. A company is unable to bring "felony charges".}

19.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 13:08:13
Biged, not everyone has forgotten what Suarez did, I certainly haven't but it is now irrelevant to LFC because the club did get rid of him. However, don't forget that most of the clubs staff including King Kenny lost their jobs because of the way it was handled.
The message from the owners is they will not tolerate weak management.

Toure is absolutely STUPID to say anything publically about this matter and you can be sure that will be considered when the club decides his future. He will be lucky to get an offer IMO.

Sakho for all his performances, charity work, love for the city etc etc has, through his own stupidity, put the future of the club at risk. The club could have been kicked out of tonight's match and the tournament with a subsequent European ban. The board have to protect the club.

20.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 13:10:52
I genuinely think it depends on a lot of ifs and buts however, Ron how would you feel if sakho went in front of his team mates and put his hands up and said I genuinely made a stupid mistake and am going to pay the price and I apologize. This a long with a lengthy ban that will come does it send the wrong message to players? They still get tested regularly and randomly, before and after this incident they know the stipulations of a failed test.
From ed002s comments on fines I would also assume that we can't sack him without huge compensation and we probably won't be able to sell him before the ban ends. So my point essentially is what extra motivation or message does this send to the players about drugs?
Either way they'll get paid and if anyone had the genuine attitude of intentionally taking performance enhancements for that purpose then I don't think they would be at Liverpool long but if reports are to believed that is a genuine mistake and that is accepted by the club and teammates then he deals with the penalty and both him and the club can hopefully learn from the mistake and maybe take more precautions and give better guidance to the players on the matter in the future.

21.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 13:11:03
Toure was at Man City Ron. We gave him a chance after he was caught taking diet pills.
I can't recall anybody saying no to him signing on.

Ferdinand walked away from a drug test. If I did that at my work place, it's deemed a fail. I'm put on a black list and cannot work in that environment again. Ferdinand stayed and carried on with his career.

One thing I do find strange is that Sakho has said nothing in all of this so far?

22.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 12:49:40
Eds, just a hypothetical could Sakho appeal to the Court of arbitration for sport if he could show it was accidental?

I remember Asafa Powell did something similar and had a bad reduced from 18 to 6 months so perhaps there is a precedent. Or would this just cause more problems than it could solve?

{Ed002's Note - It isn't going to happen.}

23.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 13:56:31
ShaneK : I'm no lawyer or agent but I know a small amount about employment law. In my opinion a player who is caught by UEFA taking a banned substance can easily be deemed as gross misconduct and therefore their contract can be terminated immediately without compensation.

{Ed002's Note - He can be sacked as he would be in breach of contract.}

24.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 14:21:13
I agree with just about everything Ron has said. I would also like to add that I am extremely annoyed that because of someone's either incompetence, naivety, and complete lack of professionalism here this last week has been all about how a Liverpool player has failed a drug test as opposed to how we are about to play a semi final leg of Europa. Really takes the shine off it.

25.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 16:59:40
Thanks eds! Still find it mad a performance enhancement drug clause (sure that's the techinal term) isn't in an athletes contract.

{Ed002's Note - The players are forbidden from takeing all banned substances hence the ability of the club to take action for breach of contract.}

26.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 16:24:54
All parameters of the case has to be reviewed including the player`s own history which is more than exemplary in leadership, community service and integrity etc, all of which Sahko possesses. If the review shows that he genuinely took the meds in good faith and due diligence and did not mean to cheat but still gets banned as is the law, do you kick him out as a knee jerk reaction just to send a message?

To who? Just to show some kind of zero tolerance? That's not smart. Knee jerk reactions compound the problem, not solve it. We already have shown that we don`t tolerate such things because he's been left out of the team till further notice. Please, stop passing judgment based on innuendo and hypotheticals. I will wait for all the facts to come out before giving my opinion and I suggest you and many, do the same.

27.) 28 Apr 2016
28 Apr 2016 19:18:06
Agree Redohio. Need to really see it with all the facts mate!