Bangor's Arthurs served anti-doping ban last season

What the report says

Bangor striker Ben Arthurs is available for the club’s opening match of the 2026-27 Irish Premiership season after completing a three-month anti-doping suspension, BBC Sport Football reported. The case stems from a test taken after Bangor’s league game against Glentoran on 10 March, which later produced an adverse finding for benzoylecgonine, a cocaine metabolite.

According to the BBC, Arthurs was suspended by Bangor in April while an investigation was carried out. UK Anti-Doping said he admitted using cocaine in a social setting, and an independent expert concluded the use was most likely before match day and unrelated to performance. Under UKAD rules, reduced three-month bans can apply when an athlete establishes the substance was taken out of competition and outside sport performance.

Arthurs’ provisional suspension began on 7 April, meaning the penalty has now been served. He has already returned to pre-season training and is eligible to play against Cliftonville on 15 August at Clandeboye Park, when Lee Feeney’s side begin their campaign.

The BBC noted that the 28-year-old has spent eight seasons with Bangor and is the club’s second-highest goalscorer in its history. The episode is relevant because it affects one of Bangor’s leading players just as the new season begins and highlights how anti-doping rules can lead to sanctions even in cases outside on-field performance.