MADRID, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Athletic Bilbao defender Yeray Alvarez said on Wednesday that he assumed responsibility after testing positive for a prohibited substance, which has seen him given a 10-month suspension by UEFA.

Yeray was given the suspension after testing positive for canrenone, which can be used as a masking agent, that was present in a treatment he was taking against hair loss he was suffering after twice surviving cancer.

He explained he had been taking a treatment since 2022 and had "shared all the information" on what he was using with the club, and his girlfriend was taking a similar treatment.

However, he said that the week before Athletic's Europa League semifinal first leg against Manchester United, he ran out of pills and "decided to take my partner's pill, thinking it had exactly the same effect... not knowing it contained another substance and that it was prohibited."

"I want to apologize to Athletic, the fans, my teammates... these have been complicated months. I want to apologize to everyone. I'm experiencing this situation, but it involves and you all," commented Yeray, who added that he also renounced his salary until he is able to play again on April 2, 2026.

The 30-year-old accepted the length of his ban, which is considerably longer than the three months given to tennis player Jannik Sinner after his positive drug test last year.

"Ten months seems fair to me," he said, accepting the suspension. "It was a mistake I've owned up to from the start, that's how it will be." ■