After Antonio Tiberi of Trek-Segafredo was fined €4,000 for killing a cat with an air rifle near his home in San Marino last June, his team has decided to suspend him without pay for 20 days.
Shortly after the team announced his suspension, his agent Alex Carera issued a statement from Tiberi, who took responsibility for his actions.
"I deeply regret my shameful actions. Shooting the cat was something tremendously stupid and irresponsible, the seriousness and danger of which I realized only after," Tiberi said in the statement. "I don't want to make any kind of excuse to comment, to add any 'if' or 'but'. I accept with sense of responsibility and repentance the consequences and the blame for my action."
“My intention was simply to measure the weapon's shooting range, so I was targeting a no parking sign,” Tiberi said, according to Il Corriere della Sera. “I also admit that I (just as foolishly and unconsciously) tried to shoot a cat. And to my surprise I actually shot it. I had no intention of killing the animal. In fact, I was convinced the weapon was non-lethal.”
The cat belonged to San Marino’s Minister for Tourism Federico Pedini Amati, who previously served as the country’s head of state for a term in 2008, and he alerted the police in the aftermath of the incident on June 21 last.
Tiberi confessed the crime when questioned by police in November, but Pedini Amati believes the punishment – a €4,000 fine and the confiscation of the air rifle – is too light, maintaining that the rider should also have had his residency revoked.
“The cat wasn’t bothering anyone,” Pedini Amati said according to Il Corriere.
“It had been with us for a long time. My three-year-old daughter Lucia adored it. You can’t kill a pet and get away with a €4,000 fine. I appreciated that the guy admitted the fact. That said, we don't need to give these people residency."
The Italian rider admitted his guilt to the court, saying that he had been testing the range of the air rifle and had not intended to kill the cat. Tiberi had purchased the weapon the previous week.
The 21-year-old said he had not revealed the incident :because of a strong sense of shame and regret", and apologized, in particular to his team who, he said, "are a blameless victim of the affair".
"My conduct was not at all befitting a professional athlete and, more generally, a responsible and sensible person. I apologize again and publicly to the minister of San Marino, Pedini Amati, for the emotional damage I caused him, as well as to all the citizens of San Marino. Finally, to everyone, I reiterate that it was not my intention to kill the cat; it was an accident."
Tiberi said he would donate his prize winnings this season to an organisation that cares for stray cats in San Marino and would volunteer his time as well.
"I realize that all this comes only now but, alas, I can only follow up the repentance with a concrete and useful gesture. I have made a big mistake and I believe that now, the only thing I can do is to act to redeem."
Changes to San Marino’s tax regime have made it increasingly popular among professional riders and other sportspeople in recent years, and Tiberi moved his residency to the country in March 2022.
Trek-Segafredo said they agreed with the fine and "strongly condemn the reprehensible act, which is a clear violation of the team's code of conduct."
The news reports were the first the team heard of the offense, and they announced a suspension of a "minimum of 20 days without pay".
That will keep Tiberi out of Trofeo Laigueglia, Tirreno-Adriatico and Milano-Torino. If necessary, the team will take further action in the future.
"In addition to the fine already issued by the courts, the Team will donate Antonio's suspended pay to an appropriate animal care, protection and rescue organization," the team wrote, adding they were greatly disappointed in their rider's conduct.
"The team strives to help riders improve not just as athletes, but as men and women. The team will work closely with Antonio to ensure he educates himself and expects him to take necessary steps to express his remorse and become a better person."
The 21-year-old was junior time trial world champion in 2019 before he turned professional with Trek-Segafredo ahead of the 2021 season.
Tiberi made his Grand Tour debut at last year’s Vuelta a España, and he has enjoyed a strong start to 2023, placing 8th overall at the Tour Down Under and seventh at the UAE Tour.
The Trek-Segafredo team said they would issue a statement later on Tuesday.
