Declarations will be welcomed by some, questioned by others
Following a statement in Marca yesterday where Juan Carlos Castaño said he hoped things turned out well in the Alberto Contador case, the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) president has made a clearer declaration of support for the rider.
“Personally, I hope this case will turn in favour of the rider, for numerous reasons,” he said on Spanish public radio, according to VeloChrono.fr. “I know him since he was young, I spent many years in Madrid, where he comes from, and I can not help but be in empathy with Contador.”
While Contador’s supporters will applaud Castaño’s sentiments, they are also likely to lead to concern amongst others who feel that national federations don’t always approach such cases in a fully objective manner.
For example, Alejandro Valverde was protected for many years by the RFEC, and was ultimately only banned when the UCI and WADA brought a case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Whether or not Contador is innocent, Castaño’s statement will provide fuel to those who argue that national federations should not sanction their own riders as there is a perception that vested interests and personal relationships could play a part.
Asked by the interviewer how he thought that things would progress, the RFEC president said that he wasn’t sure.
“Anything can happen,” he said. “Including the closure of the file, if it turns out that there is no reason to punish the rider. It [the outcome] can therefore range from an amnesty, pure and simple, to a two year suspension.”
Castaño said yesterday that the RFEC had three months to settle the case, apparently being unaware that Article 280 of the UCI’s anti-doping regulations state that such proceedings should be completed within one month. Beyond that, financial penalties beckon, as well as a possible hearing before CAS to force the federation to act.
He now says that things could be resolved sooner. “It could be settled much faster…that depends on the behaviour of the different parties.”
Contador has yet to comment on the decision by the UCI to request that the RFEC open disciplinary proceedings against him. His spokesman, Jacinto Vidarte, said that he was pleased that the RFEC would be the body concerned.
“It is the normal procedure, indeed one we hoped for, that the Spanish Federation would decide on the case,” he stated, according to various media reports.
“Contador will be able to present all the documentation and demonstrate that it was a case of contaminated food.”