Manchester United goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley believes Tottenham Hotspur forward Chioma Ubogagu can serve as an example to others after being handed a nine-month ban following an anti-doping violation. 

UK Anti-Doping tested Ubogagu on 7th October 2021, but her sample contained the banned substance canrenone, meaning she will not be available for her club until October 2022. 

At a Football Association hearing, it was found that Ubogagu did not take the substance deliberately and used it for a ‘recognised medical condition’. 

And Baggaley, a UKAD Athlete Commission member, believes that Ubogagu has responded in the right way to the ban by offering to help educate others. 

Having represented England at several age-grade levels, Baggaley was appointed in May 2020 as one of 11 British athletes from a variety of sports who will discuss UKAD policies and broader issues in clean sport. 

The BFA Women's Super League star is the youngest member of the UKAD Athlete Commission at 25 years old and has been impressed by Ubogagu’s willingness to take responsibility. 

“I think it's really positive that she wants to make sure things like this don't happen again. I don't think she meant to do it,” said Baggaley, speaking at the start of UKAD's Clean Sport Week, which runs from the 23rd May to the 27th. 

“Obviously, no one wants to see bans, but at the same time, I think she has dealt with it in the right way. 

“She has taken responsibility for it and said that she should have known what was going on. 

“It will make other people think twice when they are taking things so that they check. 

“We all get the education, but somehow it slipped through the cracks that she hasn't checked the medication that she is taking. 

“But I think things like this will really raise awareness for other people, so hopefully, something like this won't happen again. 

“What she was doing was unintentional, but she still had that duty of care to check what she was taking. 

“We all have a duty to check what we are putting into our bodies to make sure things like this don't happen. 

“Whether that's unintentional or intentional.” 

More than half of Brits say doping in sport puts them off watching or attending sport, buying merchandise, or encouraging their children to participate, according to a new survey conducted on behalf of UKAD. 

And Baggaley feels that Clean Sport Week is a great educational tool for athletes. 

She added: “It raises awareness about the importance of education, and I think anything that makes people more aware of what they're putting into their bodies is a good thing. 

“Obviously, Clean Sport Week is a celebration of clean sport, but it is also a celebration of the work that UKAD does. 

“I've had a couple of past experiences with it. Just when I was younger, people had been involved in stuff. 

“I think football is a little bit different to other sports. 

“I think some other sports focus on performance-enhancing drugs, but for football, I believe there is a bit more of a social aspect as well. 

“It is the same testing throughout, but we have people come in to test hair samples for social drugs, and I think in a team sports environment, that's far more prevalent than other performance-enhancing drugs.” 

Clean Sport Week, which runs from 23-27 May, is UK Anti-Doping’s (UKAD’s) national awareness week, championing clean sport, education, and anti-doping initiatives with sports across the UK.