GironaBambo Diaby (1997) returns to play football. The Senegalese player from Mataró has returned to the field of play with the Preston North End reserve team after two years in prison for doping. The former Girona defender, among other Catalan clubs, made his debut again with a goal. And now he is looking forward to playing for the English club’s first team in front of his fans. Preston play what is popularly known as the Championship, the English Second Division. It is the team that bet on him after he tested positive for hygenamine, a weight loss supplement, in early 2020, when he belonged to Barnsley. In his defense, Diaby argued that he had not consciously consumed this substance.
When you received the news of the positive for doping, how did you feel?
– Receiving such news is a very hard blow. I remember it was Thursday before we faced Bristol in the league. I remember everything: the hours, what I thought … I finished training and when I got home I told my partner that we would win that weekend, yes or no. I was very motivated.
Until you get a call that changes everything.
– Or rather, it slows it down. It was a call telling me to head back to the sports city [del Barnsley]. By the time I was urged to return I was already sniffing something.
And when you get back to the club … The bad news.
– I went there with a clear conscience, as I have it now. When I arrived, a lot of people were waiting for me in a room that had a chair. The sporting director asked me if I had taken any doping substance because in one analysis it turned out to be positive. At first I was very angry, I always proved that I am a professional.
Did your reaction make Barnsley take action?
– They did almost everything. My English was not very good at the time and therefore did not have many resources. I was told that the substance was used to lose weight. I laughed a lot, what need did I have to lose weight? Barnsley got in touch with all the clubs where I had played before to prove my innocence.
But you could never prove it.
– I went to trial and was told that I had to prove the origin of this substance. How do you prove something you don’t know? I didn’t know where it came from.
What did you do when you were told you had to serve a two-year sentence without playing?
– First of all I want to say that Barnsley sided with me at all times. He did not terminate my contract, but I fulfilled it until the last day. What I did was get to work. I left the UK to go to the home of a friend of mine, Anselm Pasquina, with whom I had played. He became a very important piece as he is a very similar person to me. I remember getting up at four in the morning to train and then go to work. When I saw it, I decided to do the same and get to work, too.
Did you keep training?
– At some point I left because my body didn’t react to what my mind was saying. However, I trained, yes. I went to the Global Performance in Barcelona, where they understood my situation from the first moment. I had to go because I didn’t want to play it during the two years of the sanction: I couldn’t sign up or train with any club.
When Preston called me I was very clear that I would pass the tests. No one trusts me more than I do. ”
Bamboo Diaby Preston Player
Where did you get the urge to play again?
– Aviam … I have had many days of deep discouragement. I think the keys were to believe in God and have very healthy people around. At that time I had a partner and he helped me a lot; just like my friends, reps, or my psychologist. Also, being strong mentally influences a lot. My philosophy has always been that of breasts and buttocks.
Maybe thanks to that spirit you ended up going back to the Championship to play Preston.
– There were more clubs that wanted to sign me: from the First Division of France or Belgium, some from Spain. Of all these entities that were fixed on me, my rep recommended me to go to Preston. I remember being told I had to do some testing to see if I was the player before. I will confess that I was clear that I would pass the tests, there is no one who believes in me more than myself.
However, you have not yet made your debut with the first team.
– I have been called up with the first team to our stadium, but the opportunity has not yet arrived. To shoot, in England, there is the reserve team, where promising players or those returning from injury play. The feeling was amazing. When I picked up the shirt I thought, “You don’t wear it for a photo shoot, but for a party.”
Didn’t you feel pressure?
– Pressure? I’m playing in the English Second Division. What I have to feel is pride and happiness. Pressure my father, who works. Pressure before, when I had to find equipment.
And you still have to make your debut with the first team. How do you expect it to go?
– Look, I’ll tell you I haven’t played it and I already have custom songs. I think people have taken a liking to the story I have. People know that someone like me has had a bad time and has put a lot of effort into being where they are right now. Many people thought I was dead. But nothing happens, I don’t like to respond with words, but with facts and a smile on my face.
