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Jurgen Klopp says he appreciates the public apology to Mamadou Sakho of the World Anti-Doping Association.
And the Liverpool coach detailed his happiness for his former defender after the organization’s statement this week.
Sakho received what the AMA described as “substantial damages” for improperly suspending him for 30 days during his time at Anfield.
The center-back, who was possibly in the form of his career at Liverpool in April 2016, was banned for a month for allegedly consuming a substance that was not on the WADA’s banned list.
As a result of the suspension, Sakho missed the 2016 Europa League final, where the Reds were defeated 3-1 by Sevilla before being left out of the French team for the European Championship that summer.
In July 2016, Sakho was acquitted by UEFA after he found out that higenamine was not banned by WADA and the defender has since tried to sue the company for £ 13 million due to lost potential earnings as a Liverpool player.
When asked what his reaction was to Wednesday’s news, Klopp said he was pleased to see that the Crystal Palace defender had cleared his name completely.
“My initial thought was ‘finally!'” Klopp said.
“We all knew for a long time that Mom did nothing wrong. It was a massive, massive hit.
“Not only could he not play in the Europa League final, but he also couldn’t play in the Euro if I’m not mistaken.
“I’m very happy for Mom that at least now she has the evidence that she did nothing wrong and it is something very important.”
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Sakho was affected by Klopp’s discipline in the summer of 2016 and was sent home from a tour of the United States, before playing the rest of his career at Anfield for the U23.
However, those circumstances were not related to the suspension and Klopp said he has never seen a doping problem in his football career.
He added: “Doping is a problem, yes. But I never really saw it as a problem in football because I have been in it for 30 years and have never been in contact with any kind of problem.
“What if [there is], it’s because someone made a dumb decision, not because they wanted to improve your recovery time or whatever.
“These were the doping cases that I heard about, that I was never involved in. If you bear the mark that you did it, especially when you didn’t, that’s huge.
“So I am very happy that he has freed himself from all these things.”
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A statement at a public hearing on Wednesday read: “WADA retracts and apologizes for the libelous accusations made in the First Press Release and Second Press Release.”
“WADA accepts that it should not have made the defamatory accusations it made in the first press release and the second press release, as UEFA had acquitted Mr Sakho.
“WADA accepts that Mr. Sakho did not violate the UEFA Anti-Doping Regulations, did not cheat, did not intend to gain any advantage and acted in good faith.
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