The Astana team was able to sit back and rest with Navarro up the road.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Yvon Sanquer and Alberto Contador at the 2010 Astana team presentation(Image credit: AFP Photo)
The Kazakhstan Cycling Federation has said it is considering legal action against former Astana team manager Yvon Sanquer after the Frenchman claimed he was wrongly dismissed from his position.
Sanquer has been replaced by commercial director Aidar Makhmetov and Marco Pantani’s former directeur sportif Giuseppe Martinelli, who is responsible for sport related aspects of the Astana team.
“Once the team was ‘saved’, I quickly had the private conviction that the Kazakh management had hired me above all to be their moral guarantee and shop window,” Sanquer said in his statement issued last Friday.
In response the Kazakhstan Cycling Federation has suggested that Sanquer failed to properly carry his management role and failed to inform them when Alberto Contador tested positive for Clenbuterol while winning the Tour de France.
“During the (2010) season, leaders of the Kazakh Federation have repeatedly noted management shortcomings of the General Manager,” the Kazakhstan Cycling Federation claimed in a press release.
“The equipment and sporting stock bought by the general manager didn’t correspond to the level of the team. Among other things, Mr. Sanquer did not inform immediately Kazakhstan Cycling Federation regarding the negative result of the doping test of Alberto Contador once he found it out the Federation was expecting a detailed report in writing by the General Manager instead of learning the facts initially only from the media.
“Conflicts between the General Manager on the one side and riders, team management and staff, on the other side, occurred throughout 2010 season. Consequently, the team sent a letter, stating the impossibility of further work with Mr. Sanquer to the Federation. It should be noted that Mr Sanquer actually failed to perform managing Astana immediately after the end of Tour de France 2010; meanwhile getting wages until the end of 2010 season.”
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
The Kazakhstan Cycling Federation claims it has offered Sanquer a new role as an advisor to the Federation instead of with the Astana Pro Team but he has failed to reply to their offer.
“Thus, Kazakhstan Cycling Federation considers these actions made by Mr. Sanquer, as inconsistent with ethics of General Manager of a high level sports team,” the press release said.
“In this situation Federation intends to resolve all controversial issues on the legal framework and does not rule out possibility of laying legal action.”
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).
