Saint-Maximin Says Fenerbahçe Staff Pushed Doping, Club Threatens Suit

French forward Allan Saint-Maximin said in a podcast released on 4 July that unnamed medical staff at Fenerbahçe tried to administer substances that would have breached anti-doping rules during his season-long loan at the Turkish club in 2024-25. The 28-year-old, who is returning to Saudi side Al-Ahli, described his stint in Istanbul as a “calvary” marked by off-field ‘schemes, money problems and broken promises’.

Fenerbahçe responded hours later with a statement on social-media platform X, accusing Saint-Maximin of “distorting the facts” and attempting to damage the club’s reputation. The club said it would pursue “all legal rights” against the player. Saint-Maximin subsequently clarified online that the alleged incident involved outside medical personnel who offered him treatment deemed a doping product when he was ill, adding that he did not know their motives.

The dispute adds further scrutiny to Fenerbahçe, coached last season by José Mourinho, after the club finished second to Galatasaray in the Süper Lig. Neither UEFA nor FIFA has commented on the matter, and no formal investigation has been announced.