Puerta lawyer: Verdict undermines battle against drugs

A solicitor acting for Mariano Puerta believes the decision to ban the player for eight years for a second doping offence would “undermine the battle against drug cheats in sport”.

The ban was imposed on the 27-year-old Argentinean by the International Tennis Federation in accordance with the guidelines set by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after he tested positive for banned stimulant etilefrine after the French Open final in June.

That followed a nine-month suspension imposed after he failed a test for clenbuterol in February 2003.

The ITF accepted the player’s defence of “no significant fault or negligence” for the presence of etilefrine, which was caused by “accidental contamination” by an over-the-counter medicine being taken by his wife.

Puerta is considering whether to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and solicitor Patrick Russell questioned the harshness of the punishment.

“There are two stories here. One is the awful personal plight for Mariano facing the effective end to his talented career and the deprivation this will cause to his many fans and supporters,” Russell said.

“The second concerns a wider matter of public interest for sport, namely whether it is sensible for commercial interests to invest in the careers of sports people if they can be brought to nothing as a result of an incident such as this involving a trivial, minute and purely accidental ingestion of medicine which is available over-the-counter.

“There must be a real danger that this decision will, in the long term, undermine the battle against drug cheats in sport.”

Puerta’s appearance in the final at Roland Garros, which he lost to Rafael Nadal, marked a revival in his career following his initial drugs ban.

He has been forced to forfeit his results, ranking points and prize money of just over £300,000 from the tournament.

His fellow Argentinean players condemned the ITF’s verdict, with close friend Gaston Gaudio saying: “It’s lethal. Eight years is like a life punishment.

“After so much bad news, he had a wonderful 2005, winning a tournament (in Casablanca, Puerta’s first tour title since March 2000) and reaching the French Open final, and now, what has happened is the worst sanction they could have given to him.”

WADA chairman Dick Pound welcomed the ITF’s sanction and told Sky Sports News: “Somebody who has tested positive twice in less than two years is someone who clearly doesn’t think the rules apply to him.

“We were always worried about the secrecy and apparent laxity of the testing programmes when the responsibility was in the hands of the players’ association.

“I know the International Tennis Federation have been working for a number of years in the interests of the sport and the process is now more transparent.

“The testing regimes will get better over time and the deterrent effect of these kind of sanctions where positive cases are discovered will, I hope, persuade players who might otherwise consider using these drugs not to do so.

“It is a big, big step forward. We’re very pleased with (the Puerta verdict) and we will keep working with the ITF to help them make their sport even cleaner.”