Adam Wharton misses part of Palace’s celebrations after doping control

Adam Wharton said a random UEFA doping test cut into Crystal Palace’s first European trophy celebrations after the final in Leipzig. He was still in the middle of the night he had just helped finish when he was told to go, and he joked that it “ruins my party a bit”.

Why Wharton’s comments matter

The main detail here is simple. Wharton was randomly selected for testing after Crystal Palace beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0, with Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring the second-half winner at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig. Wharton played all 93 minutes, completed 38 passes and was rated 7.3, so the interruption came after he had been fully involved in the win, not as a spare man waiting around.

Wharton’s line to metro.co.uk was blunt: “I've got doping unfortunately which ruins my party a bit but hopefully I can get that over quickly and get on the beers and the alcohol.” The joke lands because the night was already a milestone for Palace, but the testing delay meant he missed part of the immediate celebration.

That said, it was not his first awkward post-final detour. Wharton also said he missed the FA Cup final celebrations last year after being hospitalised for precautionary checks following a head injury. This one was different, but the theme is familiar: the footballer gets the trophy, then the bureaucracy gets in the way.

He still found time to praise Oliver Glasner. Wharton said: “He's got to be one of the best managers Crystal Palace have ever had. He's made a massive difference.”

Glasner himself called it “A fantastic evening, this group of players and fans deserve it.” The manager is leaving with Palace’s first European trophy, and Wharton’s words fit the mood around him. Palace have now got the club’s first European title, and the post-match talk was as much about Glasner’s legacy as the scoreline.

The final note for Palace is straightforward. Wharton’s celebration was interrupted, but not the memory of a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano, Mateta’s winner and a first European trophy at Leipzig. What comes next is the usual afterglow, except one of Palace’s most important midfielders had to finish his night in a doping room first.