UEFA confirmed to RIA Novosti on Monday that it had banned Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper Olexandr Rybka for two years for taking a banned substance, adding it has asked world governing body FIFA to give the sanction worldwide effect.
European football's governing body handed the maximum penalty to the Ukraine international after he tested positive for a banned substance after a November league match against FC Karpaty, and confirmed he would miss the summer's Euro 2012 tournament on home soil.
"The player has been suspended for 2 years until 10 January 2014," UEFA said in an emailed statement to RIA Novosti. "This suspension covers all types of matches, including domestic, international, friendly and official fixtures playing in the UEFA jurisdiction," it added.
"FIFA is requested to extend the sanction so as to give it worldwide effect," the statement said.
UEFA said any information regarding the substance could not be disclosed because it had not yet talked at length with Shakhtar and Rybka about the subject.
The club's general director told RIA Novosti earlier Monday that the substance was a weight-loss diuretic that Rybka took after the match, meaning it could not have affected his performance.
"In the best-case scenario we want to annul this disqualification," Sergei Palkin said. "If not, we will try to shorten it as much as possible. ... Olexandr said himself that he took this substance. But we consider UEFA's decision to be wrong because he took it after the game. ... If he took it before the game it would be different," Palkin said.
Palkin said Shakhtar would retain the services of the 24-year-old goalkeeper, who had been in contention for a starting place at the summer's Euro 2012 tournament that Ukraine is co-hosting, even if the appeal is rejected.
