Athletic Bilbao’s Alvarez is banned from 10 months after taking prohibited substance in hair loss treatment

Athletic Bilbao player Yeray Alvarez received a 10-month ban on Monday for the failure of a forbidden drug test because of taking a drug to prevent hair loss caused by cancer treatment.

The Spanish defender did not succeed in a drug test after Athletic lost in May to Manchester United in the semi -final of the Europa League and accepted a voluntary provisional suspension at the beginning of June, UEFA said.

After an investigation by two inspectors of the ethics and the disciplinary department of UEFA, the Alvarez administrative body suspended for a period of 10 months. The prohibition ends on April 2 next year and applies to all competitions.

Alvarez, a 30-year-old center back, had to step away from football for a few months in 2017 to treat testicular cancer. After his return to play, he took medication to combat alopecia.

He argued that the cause of his positive result on the doping test was that he «involuntarily took a medicine to prevent hair loss from containing a forbidden substance.» UEFA confirmed that substance is Canrenone.

Athletic is playing in the Champions League this season after he finished fourth in the Spanish league.

Published on September 8, 2025