Banned rugby star breaks silence on huge scandal he says killed his mum

Disgraced Georgia captain Merab Sharikadze has spoken out for the first time regarding his 11-year ban from the sport, alleging he was betrayed by a team-mate and disclosing that the scandal which has shaken rugby to its core has left his life in ruins. Sharikadze claimed the fallout from the wide-ranging anti-doping investigation was responsible for his mother's death, in a bombshell interview with the Daily Mail.

The 32-year-old is one of six former Georgian internationals to have received a ban following a major joint investigation between the World Anti-Doping Agency and World Rugby that exposed a scheme involving sample substitution and advance warnings of drug tests. The investigation, dubbed 'Operation Obsidian', was launched in 2023 and uncovered five instances where players allegedly swapped urine samples to evade detection.

Four of the remaining five banned players - Giorgi Chkoidze, Lasha Khmaladze, Lasha Lomidze and Miriani Modebadze — also played in Georgia's historic victory over Wales in Cardiff four years ago.

Hooker Chkoidze has received a six-year ban, while Khmaladze, Modebadze and Otar Lashkhi have each been handed three-year bans. Lomidze has been suspended for nine months.

Georgia's former chief medical officer Nutsa Shamatava has additionally been banned for nine years. "My whole life was destroyed," Sharikadze told the Mail. "My mother passed away because of this situation. My sister found a note to God in her purse two months after she passed away, saying: 'Bring Merab back to the field as captain'."

Sharikadze acknowledges he committed a grave error, substituting samples on three separate occasions, but maintains the duration of his suspension is excessively harsh. He states he was offered immunity in exchange for helping expose complete details of the conspiracy, but declined to do so.

He alleges a team-mate whom he assisted by supplying a clean urine sample has escaped punishment after "stabbing everybody in the back" by providing information to the authorities.

"It was stupid but, at that stage, I was thinking that the boys, my friends, are in trouble and I had to help them. It was marijuana. I know it happens. I've played in England, I've played in France and I've seen a lot of people in rugby smoking cannabis.

"Obviously it was a huge mistake but I gave it to this person I trusted and it was not hard to swap. I made a mistake and it destroyed me.

"The worst thing is how they received this information. Nobody outside of this circle is involved in this story. If you look at the case, the person who gave all the information, who used my urine sample, they let him free.

"Everyone else got caught, including me. I understand I'm guilty. Who I helped, stabbed me in the back to save himself. He stabbed everybody else as well."

The conspiracy was uncovered as a scheme to conceal the use of cannabis and tramadol amongst players rather than performance-enhancing substances, with the team doctor alerting players ahead of tests so they could brace themselves for the authorities' arrival.

WADA president Witold Banka hinted that further penalties could be forthcoming within Georgian sport. By way of follow-up, WADA has already extracted collected samples from other Georgian athletes across various disciplines.

"What has been happening in Georgian rugby is outrageous and will send shockwaves through Georgian sport and government, as well as the global game of rugby," said Banka. "I want to thank WADA's independent Intelligence and Investigations team for their diligence and expertise in relentlessly pursuing this operation with determination and professionalism.

"I also praise World Rugby's commitment to uncovering the facts and its willingness to work collaboratively with WADA to deliver this strong result for rugby."