Italian Marco Fertonani, who tested positive for using testosterone, has blamed the French lab in Châtenay-Malabry for the positive test during his hearing with the anti-doping prosecutor from the Italian Olympic committee (CONI). Fertonani said that the lab made a mistake during the testing of his sample, according to Sports Wereld.
"The lab made a mistake during testing, and I have absolute trust the because of this my client will be found innocent," declared Fertonani's lawyer Giulia Bongiorno, who represented the rider during the hearing on Monday with Ettorre Torri.
The 31 year-old has been suspended by his Caisse d'Epargne team after he failed a doping control during the tour of the Middellandse Sea in February, where he finished fourth.
"We have given a detailed technical report, in which we outlined the reasons why there are these minuscule variations in the values of Fertonani, which explain the mistakes by the lab," said Bongiorno.
Following the hearing Torri will decide whether Fertonani should come before the Italian Cycling Federation's disciplinary commission, which would then need to decide on a possible suspension or fine for the rider.
