News breaks in Italy that Mario Cipollini was a client of Dr Fuentes(Image credit: Daniel Simms)
Mario Cipollini (Acqua e Sapone) bridged the gap to Hincapie, Rodriguez and Hendrik Van Dyck(Image credit: Sirotti)
Mario Cipollini at the Giro d'Italia.(Image credit: Sirotti)
The last roar on via Roma from the Lion King(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Speaking via his lawyer, Mario Cipollini has denied the accusations published by the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper that he was a client of Dr Eufemiano Fuentes and underwent a series of blood transfusions as part of complex doping programme during the 2002 season.
Cipollini won Milano-Sanremo, Gent-Wevelgem and then the world title in Zolder in 2002, plus six stages at the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta Espana, the best ever season of his long career.
Gazzetta dello Sport published a detailed doping calendar and hand written payment details apparently produced by Fuentes, claiming one of the documents had Cipollini's home fax number on the back of it. The Italian sports newspaper claimed that Cipollini's code name was 'Maria'.
Cyclingnews understands that Cipollini was allowed to see the evidence before publication but opted not to deny or confirm the accusations.
Cipollini reportedly returned to his home in Lucca after the front page story was published, but has yet to speak in her person. He was not at his villa in Lucca when Cyclingnews went there to find him on Saturday morning.
After several hours of silence, his lawyer Giuseppe Napoleone has now issued Cipollini's take on the revelations and is threatening to take legal action to defend Cipollini's image.
"In the name of and on behalf of Mr. Mario Cipollini and regarding the news that appeared today on the Gazzetta.it website, in the related newspaper and picked-up by several other parts of the media, this statement categorically denies the false and absurd accusations made against my client," the statement reads.
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"The documents published in no way refer to him. The fax number on the incriminated table, which according to the journalistic reconstruction that apparently lead to Cipollini, isn't actually a fax number but an Italian telephone number that isn’t registered in my client's name and is actually written by hand."
"All of this does not add up with the defamatory news published."
"To further prove Mr. Cipollini is not linked to the claims made, he is willing to undergo any kind of hematological test to compare the 99 bags in possession of the Spanish judicial system.
"I've been given permission to defend the interests of my client in both civil and penal legal proceedings."
Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
