Doctor who worked at Man City and Bury charged with anti-doping violation

A doctor who worked for Manchester City and Bury has been charged by the Football Association with an anti-doping rule violation.

Dr Andrew Johnson has been accused of providing fraudulent information about a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) when working as club doctor for Bury last year.

An application he made on behalf of an unnamed player to use a banned substance – understood to be testosterone – on medical grounds was dated December 2018.

According to the website of the clinic where Johnson works as a GP in north-west England, he has also worked as a doctor at Manchester City's academy.

Dr Johnson was also working as a consultant at City at the time of the alleged breach, but it is understood he was never a full-time employee and the club have not used him since they became aware of the case.

In October, the FA charged him with a breach of Rule E25, and alleged that he “tampered with doping control in that he provided fraudulent information to an anti-doping organisation, namely the FA and/or UK Anti-Doping in respect of an application for a TUE dated 1 December 2018 on behalf of a player.”

If found guilty, Dr Johnson could face a ban from working in sport for four years.

Dr Johnson, Bury FC, Manchester City, the FA and UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) have been approached for comment.

Dr Johnson's association with City spanned at least eight years.