Accies star serves suspension for drug violation

Simon Mensing missed out on Hamilton’s games in February and it has now been revealed this was a result of failing a drugs test.

The SFA released a statement today, “UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) have confirmed an anti-doping rule violation involving the Hamilton Academical player, Simon Mensing.

“UKAD have confirmed “the presence of a prohibited substance or its metabolites or markers” in a sample collected from the player on December 29, 2010.

“The stimulant Methylhexaneamine (MHA) was detected in the player’s sample, following which a four-week period of ineligibility was imposed on him, starting January 29, 2011, at 0900 and concluding on February 26, 2011, at 0900.”

The bizarre situation in all of this is the packaging of the drug appears to say that it contains no banned substance. Not accepting that Mensing appears to have checked this out with club officials (incl doctor and physio), the manufacturer. This would appear to confirm he has done all he could.

It also appears you are banned and treated as guilty as soon as you fail the test, this seems to be a bi-product of the abuses in other sports.

Hopefully Mensing won’t be tarred as a drugs cheat as the Scottish game doesn’t need anything like this, and neither does a player who appears to have done all he could not to be tarred with the brush.