CITY DOCTOR DRUGS RAP

A DOCTOR who worked for Manchester City and Bury has been charged by the FA with breaching anti-doping rules. Dr Andrew Johnson, who was with City’s academy and in the tunnel at the Etihad on matchdays, is alleged to have provided ‘fraudulent information’ regarding an application for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) request on behalf of a player. The incident is said to have

taken place when Johnson, who had a number of employers, was also working for Bury FC. A TUE allows an athlete to obtain approval to use a prescribed prohibited substance or method for the treatment of a legitimate medical condition. In this case, the substance is understood to have been testosterone. Despite the alleged offence having taken place while working for Bury, City acted swiftly to sever ties with Johnson — who worked for the club on a consultancy basis — and have not used his services since being made aware of the charge. He is reported to have breached FA Rule E25. The FA said: ‘It is alleged that the participant tampered with doping control in that he provided fraudulent information to an anti-doping organisation, namely The FA and/or UK Anti-Doping, in respect of an application for a TUE dated December 1, 2018, on behalf of a player.’ Johnson faces a hearing next year. If found guilty, he could be banned from working in sport for four years. Dr Johnson is a partner at the Marple Cottage Surgery in Stockport. Another partner at the practice is Dr Maher Al-Ausi, who used to work at Team Sky. Manchester City, UKAD and the FA have been contacted for comment. Meanwhile, City’s anxious wait to see if they face a Champions League ban will be prolonged, with their Financial Fair Play case now not set to be discussed until next month.