Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho will learn of the full extent of his ban from football for failing a drugs test this week, French publication L'Equipe report.
Sakho was initially, and provisionally, banned for 30 days at the end of last season"? for failing a drugs test after Liverpool's Europa League clash with Manchester United earlier in the campaign. Sakho is believed to have consumed a fat-burner with illegal substances in it, and the test following the game showed the result.
The fat burner had reportedly been used to alleviate the weight problems the Frenchman encountered when he lost his place in the Liverpool team under Brendan Rodgers at the start of the campaign.
Liverpool moved to leave Sakho out of club affairs as UEFA decided on a punishment, though European football's governing body initially handed out the short term ban as they devised further punishment. That initial 30-day term is set to expire on Saturday, and UEFA are expected to dish out the full ban as a result.
Sakho could be banned from football worldwide for anything between six months and two years, and Liverpool are expected to make a decision on the player's future upon hearing the decision. The Reds could move to sack Sakho if the player is banned for any amount of time close to the maximum, and move to find a replacement instead.
Though should UEFA be lenient with the punishment and issue the former, Sakho could be back in action by as early as October. He will serve a part of his ban over the course of the summer, even while there is no club football action.
Sakho will however miss Euro 2016 in his home nation of France.
Mamadou Sakho should learn his fate next week following a failed drugs test in March. His provisional 30-day ban will end on Saturday. #LFC
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