UEFA says CSKA Moscow safe in Champions League

Published Dec. 9, 2009 3:33 p.m. ET

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UEFA says CSKA Moscow will not be kicked out of the Champions League despite two players failing post-match doping tests. The unnamed stimulant found in samples given by defenders Sergei Ignashevich and Alexei Berezutsky after a 3-3 draw against Manchester United last month was not serious enough to impose a team punishment, UEFA said on Wednesday. The European body's rules allow a maximum penalty of a one-year ban for the players if the substance is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's "specified" list. Ignashevich and Berezutsky will have their case heard by UEFA's disciplinary panel on Dec. 17. UEFA suspended them from CSKA's match Tuesday at Turkish champion Besiktas, but the Russians won 2-1 to advance from the group along with Man United. CSKA officials said club omitted the drug Sudafed from a list of medication it handed to doping officials after its Nov. 3 match at Old Trafford. Ignashevich and Berezutsky were fighting off a severe cold after playing for the national team in a World Cup qualifier, the club said. The substance is not prohibited, but UEFA insists it must be told of its use for therapeutic reasons.