Shakhtar Donetsk goaltender, Aleksandr Rybka, has received a two-year disqualification from European football’s governing body, UEFA, after a failed dope test.

­The decision means Rybka, who has just debuted for the Ukrainian national team, won’t be able to help his country at the home European championships this summer.  

Shakhtar consider the punishment to be too harsh and plan to file an appeal against the UEFA’s ruling.

The results of Rybka’s doping test, which showed there were forbidden substances in the 24-year-old’s system, were revealed on January 13.

According to the club, their keeper was just using some “harmless pills to reduce weight”. The drug itself isn’t a stimulant, but it’s included on the prohibited list due to its ability to hide the traces of doping.

Rybka kept a clean sheet and saved a penalty in the match against Estonia in his debut for Ukraine last summer.

The Ukrainian national team will face Sweden, France and England in the group stages at Euro 2012 next summer.