CSKA basketball player Nikita Kurbanov will resume training with the team, but will no longer be its captain, said the president of the military club Andrei Vatutin .
Last week, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) announced that Kurbanov had been suspended for three months for cocaine use. The 37-year-old striker’s suspension ended on January 19. Last October, Captain CSKA announced the suspension of his sporting career “for personal reasons”.
— The club decided to bring Kurbanov back to training with the team. The basketball player served a three-month suspension for using a banned substance. This morning, Kurbanov was examined at a clinic in Moscow and, after clearance from doctors, he will be able to participate in training with his teammates, CSKA said in a statement.
“Nikita’s offense remains very serious, CSKA’s reputation is hurt and our club is strict on compliance with anti-doping rules, so the decision on admission to training with the team was not easy and has “necessitated the most serious discussions,” Vatoutine said. — During these three months, I talked a lot with Nikita. I see with what responsibility he approached the resolution of this difficult situation, realized his mistake and is ready to prove to himself, first of all, that he can be useful to the team. We are convinced that sincere repentance, many years of hard work, merit, titles and long-term dedication to the club provide a chance to correct a mistake, prove that he is a responsible player and teammate and to help the team achieve its goals. These three months where he trained individually, his experience is important to us. We hope that Kurbanov can help us in the final stage of the season, even after a long absence. Semyon Antonov will remain the team captain.
“We had a good conversation and I see that he is fully aware of his mistake, takes full responsibility and sincerely wants to make amends,” said CSKA head coach Emil Raikovich. — Nikita is in good physical shape and has additional motivation to continue performing. It will take us some time to get him back into the system and into the rotation.
Kurbanov is a seven-time winner of the VTB United League, the striker won the Euroleague three times as a member of CSKA.
Watch live broadcasts of United League matches on Match Holding channels, as well as on the matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru websites.
Source : MatchTV
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