The Football Association (The FA) has today confirmed that an Accrington Stanley FC player, Patrick “Paddy” Lacey, has been suspended for 14 months after he admitted a breach of The FA’s Anti-Doping Regulations. An in-competition test was conducted by UK Anti-Doping on 22 November 2016, following a game against Hartlepool United, which subsequently revealed the presence of benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, in Lacey’s sample.

Lacey was charged with the presence of a prohibited substance listed in Section Six, Stimulants, of Schedule Three of The FA Anti-Doping Regulations. Lacey is suspended from 15 December 2016 until 14 February 2018.  This decision is subject to appeal: the deadline for any such appeal is 10 May 2017. Further details can be found under Current Rule Violations.

• This media release was originally published by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) on 5 May 2017. To access the original, please click here.