Sheffield United goalkeeper, Paddy Kenny, has been banned for nine months after he failed a drugs test. The Football Association slapped the huge ban on the player after they called the incident intolerable and the move may have effectively ended the player’s career.

The 31 year old took a test after the Championship semi-final play-off win over Preston North End and tested positive for the banned substance, ephedrine. The player will not be able to play another match until April 2010 and has so far attracted an enormous amount of criticism from his fellow players and fans alike.

A statement read: “its use was not intended to enhance performance,” but the point is that the player should have been fully aware of what was entering his body. There is a whole list of professional sportsman that have been banned over time for taking substances that they have been ignorant to. The most common can sometimes be found in every day medicines but even the smallest quantity can lead to a positive drugs test and a heavy ban.

Rio Ferdinand was banned at the start of his Manchester United career, for a period of eight months after it emerged that he had failed to take a routine drugs test. In that instant the player was not even found guilty of substance abuse but was heavily punished in the same vein.

There have been calls from some corners of football that Kenny should not be allowed to play ever again. However, the FA say that are convinced enough that the player may not have taken the substance intentionally, but it does not excuse the fact it was there and hence the ban will not be lifted.

Sheffield United boss, Kevin Blackwell, said: “Paddy is devastated and has gone home. He has a lot to think about because he’s banned completely from playing and training. I find it hard to believe the severity of the ban considering that it was accepted that the substance wasn’t taken for performance enhancement. There’s an appeals procedure and we will sit down and talk over the next few days and discuss the situation fully with all concerned.”

“Let this be a warning to all players. They will be under the strictest scrutiny. And if they feel ill and reach for the medicine cabinet, they must be very sure that what they take doesn’t contain any of the substances on the banned list, however innocently it might be taken.”