West Ham midfielder Shaun Newton was suspended for seven months on Wednesday after testing positive for cocaine.
The Football Association (FA) said the 30-year-old Newton tested positive following West Ham's FA Cup 1-0 semi-final win over Middlesbrough on April 23. Newton came on as an 89th-minute substitute. He didn't play in the final, which West Ham lost on penalties to Liverpool.
The ban began on May 20, the day when he was suspended by the club.
PHOTO: EPA
"He will be subject to target testing throughout the period of the suspension," the FA said in a statement.
West Ham said Newton didn't travel with the club when the Hammers left on a preseason tour of Sweden on Wednesday.
"I have let down my family, my friends, the club and its supporters," Newton told the London Evening Standard newspaper. "It was an isolated incident, but I must face up to my responsibilities and I will abide by whatever the board decides."
West Ham's board will decide on Newton's punishment at a meeting next month, but manager Alan Pardew said he wouldn't be sacked.
"Our instinct is to support Shaun and his young family and give them all the help and encouragement we can," Pardew said. "We will work with him to help him get through this period, and ensure that he comes through the other side."
"I have seen at first hand the emotional and personal hell that Shaun Newton has been through in recent weeks, and our priority must be to help him -- not abandon him. I hope his experience serves as a lesson to any sports-person," he said.
Newton played 30 times for West Ham last season. He played three times for the England Under-21 side. He began his career at Charlton, where he played from 1993 to 2001. He moved to Wolves until 2005 before joining West Ham.
The FA said it tests 1,600 players at all levels of soccer, both in and out of competition, each season.
Earlier this month, Chris Cornes was banned for six months after testing positive for cocaine while playing for Wolverhampton.
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese tennis star Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the second round of the mixed doubles at the French Open, after she and German partner Mark Wallner defeated Slovenian Andreja Klepac and Briton Lloyd Glasspool in straight sets, despite temperatures exceeding 32°C in Paris, while Taiwan’s top men’s doubles player Ray Ho also reached the second round. Hsieh, who made it to the semi-finals in the mixed doubles at Roland Garros in 2024, and Wallner defeated Klepac and Glasspool 6-3, 7-5 in just more than an hour, converting three of five break points, while holding their opponents to just one conversion
FAST AND LOOSE: Despite command struggles, Ohtani has pitched his way out of trouble after falling behind in counts, which manager Roberts credited to his velocity Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday night tossed six innings of no-hit ball, gave himself an early lead with a home run and still was not satisfied with his performance. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar dropped some expletives that were picked up by the on-field mic as he struggled with his command in a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. He struck out seven, walked four and gave up an earned run in the fourth inning while visibly fuming on the mound. Ohtani (5-2) earned his third consecutive victory. “Just command was off, and I just felt like I was battling the lack of
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
RSS