Finnish player handed two-year ban

Helsinki, Nov 19: Finland midfielder Roman Eremenko has been handed a two-year ban by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) after testing positive for cocaine.

Xinhua quoted Finnish national broadcaster Yle as reporting on Friday that the test was taken after a Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen in Germany on September 14.

UEFA's Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Board found Eremenko guilty of violating the union's anti-doping regulations and decided to ban him from all football activities for two years from October 6.

Born in 1987 in Moscow, the midfielder is currently playing for CSKA Moscow, a major Russian sports club.

Eremenko moved to Finland with his family in 1990s. His senior football career started in 2004 in Finnish football club FF Jaro at the age of 17. 

He has played more than 70 games for Finland in international competitions since 2007, and has served several Finnish, Italian and Russian clubs since 2005.