The 2007, 2009 and 2010 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador is likely to learn tomorrow (Monday) whether or not he will lose victory in the most recent of those races, as well as determining if he must serve a ban from the sport.
The 28 year old Saxo Bank SunGard rider is anxiously awaiting the decision, which is likely to be one of three options: either banned for two years, handed a reduced one year suspension or cleared altogether. The latter seemed highly unlikely when news broke in September that he had tested positive for Clenbuterol during the Tour de France. However a vigorous defence on his part plus a large political push in Spain has coincided with reports that at least one member of the competition committee of the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) may be prepared to clear him altogether.
Contador’s defence is based around claims that the Clenbuterol in his system came from eating contaminated meat bought in a butcher in Irun and brought across the border into France. Typically athletes must have to prove the source of contamination, such as by providing samples of tainted supplements, but the rider has not been able to provide a sample of the meat he ate.
However his legal team has provided the RFEC's competition committee with what it says are compelling reasons to clear him.
According to Saturday’s El Pais, the decision will come on Monday. AS isn’t quite so definite, saying that Contador will learn the outcome on either Monday or Tuesday.
Suggestions that national federations shouldn’t be the ones to make sanctioning decisions could be strengthened by the very public backing that Contador has received. While it remains to be seen if he will be adjudged innocent or guilty, Spain’s prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has said in recent days that he believes that “there's no legal reason to justify sanctioning Contador." RFEC president Juan Carlos Castano said prior to the hearing that he hoped the rider would be cleared, as he knew him from when he was young.
Both the Spanish Social Democrat Party (PSOE) and Popular Party have also backed his claims that he didn’t knowingly ingest the substance and should therefore be cleared. Ditto for Angel Juanes, président of the Audiencia Nacional Española, the highest legal court after the supreme court.
Whether or not these calls affect the decision remains to be seen. The RFEC competition committee may be able to completely block out such outside pressures and come to a completely objective conclusion. However the perception of impartiality of the decision is of fundamental importance, and the high-profile calls for Contador’s clearing in Spain could muddy the waters if an unexpected penalty is handed down.