Hamburg have announced that they have terminated and will extend the contract of central defender Mario Vuskovic as the Croatian is currently serving a ban.
Earlier this summer it was announced after a ruling from CAS that Vuskovic’s two-year doping ban, which began in November 2022 would be extended to a four-year ban, meaning that the ban, which was to expire later this year will not expire in 2026.
Vuskovic’s original was to expire at the end of this season but now both the defender and Hamburg have agreed to terminate his current contract as he serves his ban. However, Vuskovic will then become an HSV player once again in 2026 as soon as his ban has been lifted.
The new contract will be ‘heavily performance-related’ as a four-year break from professional football will be difficult to come back from. As things stand, the 22-year-old can return to football from September 2026 which is when he will be allowed to train with Hamburg once again. Until then he will have to continue to train individually.
On his the situation, Vuskovic said:
“I will do everything I can to come back better than ever. HSV is much more than an employer or club for me, as was shown by the recent surprise visit of teammates and staff to Split.”
GGFN | Jack Meenan