Mamadou Sakho's 30-Day Ban Not Extended by UEFA, Could Play at Euro 2016

Liverpool centre-back Mamadou Sakho could make a surprise late run into France's Euro 2016 squad after European football governing body UEFA decided not to extend the defender's 30-day ban for breaching drugs policy.

The Liverpool Echo's Joe Rimmer reported on Saturday that UEFA opted not to extend the suspension served to Sakho last month after he failed a drugs test for a banned fat-burning substance.

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According to Rimmer, UEFA are set to investigate whether the drug should even be on the World Anti Doping Agency's list of illegal substances, meaning Sakho could be cleared pending the result of that enquiry.

Time is against Sakho, however, as less than a fortnight remains until Les Bleus kick off Euro 2016 as tournament hosts.  

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Per Rimmer's report, a UEFA statement on the matter read: "The 30-day provisional suspension ends today. The chairman of the Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body decided not to extend it. The player would thus be free to play as from tomorrow. A decision on the case will be made within the next few days."

Teams competing at Euro 2016 have until May 31 to submit their final 23-man squads for the competition, meaning France manager Didier Deschamps could still call Sakho into his final selection.

A calf injury recently ruled Barcelona's Jeremy Mathieu out of Euro 2016, and Goal's Joe Wright reported Lyon's Samuel Umtiti as his replacement, and for good reason, too, according to OptaJean:

Sakho stood out as one of Liverpool's brighter defensive assets in the 2015-16 campaign and made 34 appearances across all competitions before seeing his season brought to an abrupt end in April.

Les Bleus are in need of reinforcements, too, considering Real Madrid's Raphael Varane has also been ruled out of the running, leaving France's options dwindling in central defence.

Sakho has earned 28 caps for France since making his debut in 2010; Patrice Evra (71) and Bacary Sagna (55) are the only defenders in the current squad who have more international experience.