CONI wants two-year ban for Mazzoleni

The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) released a statement on Tuesday calling for Eddy Mazzoleni to serve a two-year ban for his involvement in the 'Oil for drugs' scandal. The charges against Mazzoleni relate to SMS messages sent to Italian doctor Carlo Santuccione in 2004, said to contain requests for banned substances and treatments. The Italian cycling federation will now decide whether to accept CONI's recommended sanction for the 34 year-old Italian.

Mazzoleni, who finished third in last year's Giro d'Italia, was suspended by his Astana team in August pending the outcome of CONI's enquiry in which he reportedly refused to cooperate with anti-doping prosecutor Ettore Torri.

Mazzoleni denied rumours of his retirement in August, but is still without a professional contract for 2008.

2007 Giro d'Italia winner Danilo Di Luca was banned for three months in October for his involvement in the same affair, but always denied any wrongdoing. The UCI subsequently removed Di Luca from the ProTour rankings, handing the series victory to Australian Cadel Evans.

In Tuesday's statement, CONI also recommended that Domenico Quagliariello, formerly of Ceramica Flaminia and now with Italian amateur team Centri della Calzatura, be handed a life-time ban for his part in the 'Oil for Drugs' affair, since it was the 28 year-old's second doping offence.