Soccer-CAS reduces Ajax keeper Onana's ban to nine months

(Reuters) - Ajax Amsterdam goalkeeper Andre Onana's year-long ban by European soccer's governing body UEFA for violating doping rules has been reduced to nine months after an appeal, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said in a statement https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/CAS_Media_Release_7760.pdf on Thursday.

Traces of the banned substance Furosemide were found in the Cameroon international's urine during an out-of-competition test on Oct. 30, Ajax said in February, leading to a year-long ban for the player from all football activities.

A panel of CAS arbitrators in charge of the matter partially upheld the player's appeal and reduced his ban that commenced on Feb. 4, meaning he will now be eligible to play from Nov. 3.

Onana had said the violation was the result of a mistake, as he accidentally took a medicine meant for his girlfriend on the morning of Oct. 30.

(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)