Former Coast team sponsor wants three month’s salary back due to doping confession
His admitted usage of banned substances falls outside the statute of limitations, but Jan Ullrich is nevertheless facing a court case which could see the former Tour de France winner having to hand over three hundred thousand euro.
The German has been taken to court by his former team sponsor Gunther Dahms, who employed Ullrich on Team Coast in 2003.
Ullrich rode for the team during that season, competing there after returning from a six month ban for amphetamine usage in 2002.
However Dahms didn’t pay the salaries and Bianchi had to step in, taking over the backing of the team. Ullrich finished second in the Tour de France in the latter company’s colours, then went back to his previous Telekom team the following season.
Dahms was previously sued by Ullrich over the non-payment of salaries and had to hand over €340,000 plus interest in 2008.
Dahms had sought to resist, saying that Ullrich had used banned substances and that consequently he would not pay him. However Ullrch swore under oath that he had not doped, and the court sided with him.
Five years later, things are rather different. In June Ullrich admitted blood doping during his career, with this clashing with the version of events he gave in the previous court case.
Given his admission this year about long-term doping, Dahms has launched the case seeking the return of three hundred thousand euro, the equivalent sum to his salary from January to March of 2003.
The case will be heard by a civil court in Essen on February 12th of next year.
However as Ullrich now lives in Switzerland, it remains to be seen if the German court has jurisdiction.
The German rider won the Tour de France in 1997 and finished second overall five times. He was one of the top favourites for the 2006 edition but ultimately did not take part after being implicated in Operacion Puerto. He never competed again after that point, announcing his retirement the following season.