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Report: T-Mobile cyclists ‘probably’ doped

Cyclists in the now defunct Team T-Mobile "probably" took doping products under the supervision of German university doctors, according to an independent report published on Thursday.

Report: T-Mobile cyclists 'probably' doped
Photo: DPA

The 23-page interim report, published by the commissioned inquiry into the doping scandal at Freiburg’s University Medical Clinic, has also named two more doctors involved in the scandal.

The report sheds light on the doping practices of Team T-Mobile – who changed their name from Team Telekom in 2004 only for German telecommunications firm Deutsche Telekom to withdraw their sponsorship at the end of last year.

The independent report – which has taken 10 months – looks into allegations of doping practices at the university between 1993 and 2006.

“It is frightening that physicians worked with criminal intentions and made lots of money. That is unethical,” the clinic’s chairman, Matthias Brandis, told German agency SID.

Three experts – Hans-Joachim Schaefer (lawyer), Wilhelm Schaenzer (biomechanics) and Ulrich Schwabe (pharmacology) – have produced their findings after nearly a year of work.

Former Telekom riders Rolf Aldag, Erik Zabel, Bert Dietz, Christian Henn and Patrik Sinkewitz – all of whom have admitted using banned blood-booster Erythropoietin (EPO) in the past – were quizzed by the inquiry.

“The experts’ published statements correspond exactly to my confessions on May 24 2007,” said Zabel in a statement. “The committee’s chairman Hans Joachim Schaefer has likewise confirmed this.”

In May last year, Zabel and former Team Telekom teammate Aldag both admitted having used EPO in preparation for the 1996 Tour de France.

Schaefer says more evidence of wrong-doing will be exposed in the next few months.

“This is only the beginning,” Schaefer said. “There are other details which we want to shed light on.

“I have some sympathy for the cyclists. They had to integrate themselves in a team where there were perfect examples of doping going on.”

The German Cycling Federation (BDR) have already asked for more information and are likely to take action.

“Even if there have been no admissions from cyclists during the period between 2001 and 2005, the commission believes it is probable there were doping operations during this time,” said the report.

“There is not only the evidence of payments received by the doctors from the cyclist team, but also paperwork for fictitious patients.”

The inquiry was commissioned by the clinic last spring after two Freiburg doctors – Lothar Heinrich and Andreas Schmid – were accused of giving out doping products by a former team employee.

The accusations were later supported by former T-Mobile cyclist Sinkewitz.

The German is currently serving a one-year ban after testing positive for testosterone last summer and admitted he had received blood transfusions at the Freiburg institute in 2006.

The commission has also revealed that two other doctors, in addition to Heinrich and Schmid, are also heavily suspected of doping operations and both are no longer employed by the clinic.

“Andreas Blum and Stefan Vogt also received payments for doping practices,” said the report.

No mention was made of Jan Ullrich, the 1997 Tour de France winner and Telekom’s team’s biggest star prior to his sacking for his suspected role in another doping affair, dubbed ‘Operation Puerto’.

However the BDR could now look into new revelations made by the now-retired Ullrich’s former doctor, Georg Huber, and some new information on the German’s right-hand man, Andreas Klöden, a runner-up at the Tour de France in 2004 and 2006.

A receipt for medicinal substances – relating to a March 2000 delivery at the house of Klöden’s wife – may reveal further secrets after being uncovered in the clinic’s archives.

CRIME

Spain women’s World Cup players demand more heads roll as Rubiales in court

The crisis within Spanish football deepened Friday as the women's World Cup winners demanded more heads roll at its scandal-hit RFEF federation whose disgraced ex-boss appeared in court on sexual assault charges.

Spain women's World Cup players demand more heads roll as Rubiales in court

Just hours after Luis Rubiales was quizzed by a judge for kissing midfielder Jenni Hermoso, all but two of Spain’s 23 World Cup players said they would not don the national shirt without deeper changes within the RFEF, demanding its current interim head also resign.

The statement came as the squad’s new coach Montse Tome was to announce the lineup for two upcoming UEFA Women’s Nations League matches against Sweden and Switzerland, which was promptly postponed, federation sources said.

“The changes put in place are not enough,” said a statement signed by 39 players, among them 21 of the 23 World Cup winners.

Demanding “fundamental changes to the RFEF’s leadership”, they called for the “resignation of the RFEF president” Pedro Rocha, who took over as interim leader when FIFA suspended Rubiales on August 26.

But the federation insisted Rocha would “lead the transition process within the RFEF until the next election”, insisting any changes would be made “gradually”.

A federation source said a leadership election could take place early next year.

“This institution is more important than individuals and it’s crucial it remains strong. We’ll work tirelessly to create stability first in order to progress later,” Rocha said in the statement.

Despite a string of recent changes, the federation remains in the hands of officials appointed by Rubiales, and the players are demanding structural changes “within the office of the president and the secretary general”.

Brought to court by a kiss

The bombshell came after days of optimism within the RFEF that the players would come round after it sacked controversial coach Jorge Vilda, appointed Tome in his stead and pledged further changes, not to mention Rubiales’ long-awaited resignation on Sunday.

On August 25, 81 Spain players, including the 23 world champions, had started a mass strike saying they would not play for the national team without significant changes at the head of the federation.

Earlier on Friday, Rubiales appeared in court where he was quizzed by Judge Francisco de Jorge who is heading up the investigation into the kiss, which sparked international outrage and saw him brought up on sexual assault charges.

At the end of the closed-door hearing, in which Rubiales repeated his claim that the kiss was consensual, the judge ordered him not to come within 200 metres of Hermoso and barred him from any contact with the player.

At the weekend, the 46-year-old had described the kiss as “a spontaneous act, a mutual act, an act that both consented to, which was… 100 percent non-sexual” in an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan.

Hermoso, 33, has insisted it was not, describing it as “an impulsive, macho act, out of place and with no type of consent on my part”.

Speaking to reporters outside court, Hermoso’s lawyer Carla Vall said they were “very satisfied” with the hearing.

“Thanks to this video, everyone can see there was no consent whatsoever and that is what we will demonstrate in court.”

Allegations of coercion

Hermoso herself will also testify before the judge at some stage, who will then have to decide whether or not to push ahead with the prosecution. No date has been given for her testimony.

The complaint against Rubiales, which was filed by the public prosecutors’ office, cites alleged offences of sexual assault and coercion.

Under a recent reform of the Spanish penal code, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault, a category which groups all types of sexual violence.

If found guilty, Rubiales could face anything from a fine to four years in prison, sources at the public prosecutors’ office have said.

In their complaint, prosecutors explained the offence of coercion related to Hermoso’s statement saying she “and those close to her had suffered constant ongoing pressure by Luis Rubiales and his professional entourage to justify and condone” his actions.

At the hearing, Rubiales also denied coercion.

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