The twilight zone called Portugal.

[carolina]

A sad day for all of us at the Clinic. The UCI decided to suspend W52-FC Porto, so they won't be at the Volta.

A BOLA

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www.abola.pt

 

[PhiLiz]

Just in: https://www.abola.pt/Nnh/Noticias/Ver/950799

UCI is going to suspend the whole team which means no Porco at Grandíssima. Since the organizer didn't forbid them from entering and Quintanilha was in Spain trying to recruit Spanish riders for the Volta, this was one of the only ways to prevent another W52 show in August.

 

[PhiLiz]

Quintanilha e a suspensão da W52-FC Porto: "Tinha as contratações feitas, é uma surpresa"

www.ojogo.pt

Quick translation: Quintanilha, Porco cycling boss, he was in Spain meeting with some cyclists when the announcement was made. Still maintains that he only asked for the truth, riders told him they were clean and the team had nothing to do with the case, only individual cases.

 

[baojoao]

Quintanilha e a suspensão da W52-FC Porto: "Tinha as contratações feitas, é uma surpresa"

www.ojogo.pt

Quick translation: Quintanilha, Porco cycling boss, he was in Spain meeting with some cyclists when the announcement was made. Still maintains that he only asked for the truth, riders told him they were clean and the team had nothing to do with the case, only individual cases.

Where will he go now? I don't think Spain is a solution now

 

[Mayomaniac]

A sad day for all of us at the Clinic. The UCI decided to suspend W52-FC Porto, so they won't be at the Volta.

A BOLA

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www.abola.pt

The UCI in a nutshell, showing your strength against the weak (CT and small PCT teams in general, W52 with the backing of Porto are a bigger fish, at least in their small, mainly national, pool).

 

[Mayomaniac]

So how will Q8-Glassdrive/the former Efapel manage to loose this one? Will one of the other teams be allowed/able to pick up Neves or Antunes at the last moment or will it just be a crazzy amount of infighting, Carvalho vs Moreira vs Figueiredo (who probably won't get a better route than this one, the additional steep MTF and multiple punchy climbs in the final ITT should help him a lot.

 

[zlev11]

yeah this kinda ruins the whole race now. at least we still had a Volta in July this year.

 

[PhiLiz]

yeah this kinda ruins the whole race now. at least we still had a Volta in July this year.

Oh, you're mistaken. Mauricio Moreira has already showed some form. Figueiredo was 8m behind as soon as he crossed the border (Castilla Y Leon). We're gonna have the watts festival even without Porco.

EDIT

UCI retira licença à W52-FC Porto. Das toneladas de comprimidos proibidos às bolsas de sangue

www.dn.pt

An overview of the case and some additional information (rough translation):

"There has never been a doping process so complex and heavy [also kind of weird in Portuguese] in Portugal such as this. Tonnes of pills found - 99% of which forbidden - blood bags, equipment for blood transfusions, indicated massive doping which remained unpunished for along time"

("Nunca houve um processo de doping tão complexo e pesado como este em Portugal. As toneladas de comprimidos encontradas - 99% deles proibidos -, as bolsas de sangue, o equipamento para fazer transfusões sanguíneas, indiciavam operações de dopagem massiva impune há muito tempo")

 

[Mayomaniac]

I can understand why, but what is the exact rule for suspending a team? Not a single rider has actually tested positive or recived a proper doping ban. Would it be possible that the UCI's suspension wouldn't hold up in court. There's also the possibility of them appealing to a Portugese court and the Volta organizers accepting that ruling.
I don't know how much that domestic scene actually cares about the UCI.

 

[carolina]

You might be right, the rules I found on UCI's website all say the licence suspension is only possible if the athlete/team is found guilty.

Maybe W52 could appeal, but would a decision be made before the Volta? It starts in a week.

 

[PhiLiz]

I can understand why, but what is the exact rule for suspending a team? Not a single rider has actually tested positive or recived a proper doping ban. Would it be possible that the UCI's suspension wouldn't hold up in court. There's also the possibility of them appealing to a Portugese court and the Volta organizers accepting that ruling.
I don't know how much that domestic scene actually cares about the UCI.

A news article today mentions "lack of ethics". So probably that, considering this:

Art. 34.2 Sanctions
In relation to breaches of the Code, the Ethics Commission may impose the
following sanctions:

• reprimand;
• fine up to a maximum of CHF 1’000’000;
• return of awards;
• withdrawal of honorary titles or other distinctions awarded according

to articles 81 and 81 of the UCI Constitution;

• suspension;
• educational measures;
• ban from taking part in a specific cycling-related activity, event or

meeting organised by the UCI or any of its affiliates;
- ban from taking part in any cycling-related activity organised by the
UCI and its affiliates.

https://assets.ctfassets.net/761l7gh5x5an/5ZszbcdPPoMq5cC82OxkTl/928487324ca63aeef744fee08aa9da06/2021-uci-ethics-en.pdf

 

[Mayomaniac]

A news article today mentions "lack of ethics". So probably that, considering this:

Art. 34.2 Sanctions
In relation to breaches of the Code, the Ethics Commission may impose the
following sanctions:

• reprimand;
• fine up to a maximum of CHF 1’000’000;
• return of awards;
• withdrawal of honorary titles or other distinctions awarded according

to articles 81 and 81 of the UCI Constitution;

• suspension;
• educational measures;
• ban from taking part in a specific cycling-related activity, event or

meeting organised by the UCI or any of its affiliates;
- ban from taking part in any cycling-related activity organised by the
UCI and its affiliates.

https://assets.ctfassets.net/761l7gh5x5an/5ZszbcdPPoMq5cC82OxkTl/928487324ca63aeef744fee08aa9da06/2021-uci-ethics-en.pdf

Yeah, but the question remains, can you claim lack of ethics when the police investigation is still ongoing and nobody has been convicted?
Or is it enough that the Police found banned stuff?

 

[PhiLiz]

Yeah, but the question remains, can you claim lack of ethics when the police investigation is still ongoing and nobody has been convicted?
Or is it enough that the Police found banned stuff?

UCI can claim that and so they did. W52-Porco may appeal to TAS/CAS to challenge it.

It also depends on what UCI is basing they're decision on: can be either the suspicions or the fact a team under investigation should be ethically bounded to not enter UCI races while the process is ongoing. We'll have to wait for more details on this.

 

[Mayomaniac]

UCI can claim that and so they did. W52-Porco may appeal to TAS/CAS to challenge it.

It also depends on what UCI is basing they're decision on: can be either the suspicions or the fact a team under investigation should be ethically bounded to not enter UCI races while the process is ongoing. We'll have to wait for more details on this.

If it's the later it would set an interesting precedent for the Bahrain situation.
I guess some teams from Portugal will now try to poach Antunes and Neves at the last minute, maybe they should give former W52 rider Veloso a call...

 

[PhiLiz]

If it's the later it would set an interesting precedent for the Bahrain situation.
I guess some teams from Portugal will now try to poach Antunes and Neves at the last minute, maybe they should give former W52 rider Veloso a call...

Doposo is a DS at Mortágua. He was the one who helped Neves at Douro Internacional making his team work to supposodely protect his team's third place in GC which he ended up losing after going after Carvalho to protect Neves.

I don't think anyone will try to recruit Antunes or Neves. The probability of either of them being suspended just before or even during Grandíssima is way too high.

 

[Ricco']

I can understand why, but what is the exact rule for suspending a team? Not a single rider has actually tested positive or recived a proper doping ban. Would it be possible that the UCI's suspension wouldn't hold up in court. There's also the possibility of them appealing to a Portugese court and the Volta organizers accepting that ruling.
I don't know how much that domestic scene actually cares about the UCI.

They don't fill the criteria of the required minimum number of riders for a conti team as only 3 are not provisionally suspended.

A portuguese newspaper says the suspension was based on the rule 10.2 who mentions possession of prohibited substance and on rule 10.2.1

As far as I know, a team can be suspended by the UCI when it has a positive control by two riders in the last year and while they are waiting for confirmation of the B sample (so not definitely guilty). I think it's almost the same as this.

 

[Tim Cahill]

52 should just rock up and start racing anyway, Alarcon, Neves and all of our favourites. Who cares about the UCI in Portugal lets be honest.

 

[PhiLiz]

52 should just rock up and start racing anyway, Alarcon, Neves and all of our favourites. Who cares about the UCI in Portugal lets be honest.

Based and illegalism pilled.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Based and illegalism pilled.

I have to say that I wouldn't mind it. There's stuff like untested powerlifting, so we might as well have a separate federation for untested cycling.

 

[PhiLiz]

Official: Sponsorship suspended until the ongoing processes are concluded.

FC Porto - Notícias - Comunicado

Em causa a suspensão do Contrato de Naming e Licenciamento de Marca com a Associação Calvário Várzea Clube de Ciclismo

www.fcporto.pt

 

[Libertine Seguros]

There's always the option to have a national team, though, like they had to enter the team a few years back. Antunes and Neves could enter that, backed by a bunch of impressionable U23s!

 

[PhiLiz]

Threats made to the executive director of the Portuguese Anti-Doping Agency after the suspension. Says that his family is at home under police protection:

Diretor da ADoP denuncia ameaças após suspensão da W52-FC Porto | MAISFUTEBOL

António Júlio Nunes revelou ter a casa sob vigilância policial

maisfutebol.iol.pt

 

[Ricco']

Classic behaviour of the hooligans at charge of the mobsters who rule the criminal organization that gave the naming to the team.

How that bunch of low-lifes is not yet considered a terrorist organization is beyond me.

 

[Elos Anjos]

Very poor and low choice of words. Like the ones from the biggot who constantly makes cheap puns for his own low entertainment standards.

Mind that both WC52 and the threat to the ADOP director are despicable and innaceptable behaviours and are to be punished by the rule of law. That is why dragging a club's name to the discussion without further evidence is also innaceptable.

Every institution has had athletes involved in doping practices without them making necessarily liable for those same practices. That's the point that you're ignoring.

We all know the drill and the usual innuendo. And its f**** boring in its righteous nonsense. It's typical for Portuguese online hooligans to believe themselves as more qualified in aprehending the evidence than the common man ignores. They know who is guilty, who is corrupt and who calls the shots. They lurk around comment sections and forum just to vent off their own frustrations.

Pitching fork crowds are never after the truth. They only care about witch hunting.

 

[Ricco']

Very poor and low choice of words. Like the ones from the biggot who constantly makes cheap puns for his own low entertainment standards.

Mind that both WC52 and the threat to the ADOP director are despicable and innaceptable behaviours and are to be punished by the rule of law. That is why dragging a club's name to the discussion without further evidence is also innaceptable.

Every institution has had athletes involved in doping practices without them making necessarily liable for those same practices. That's the point that you're ignoring.

We all know the drill and the usual innuendo. And its f**** boring in its righteous nonsense. It's typical for Portuguese online hooligans to believe themselves as more qualified in aprehending the evidence than the common man ignores. They know who is guilty, who is corrupt and who calls the shots. They lurk around comment sections and forum just to vent off their own frustrations.

Pitching fork crowds are never after the truth. They only care about witch hunting.

Yeah, you are going to probably deny that this isn't the common behaviour of 'Super Dragões', well known to do the same to several football referees. An organisation that has several members working in a private security company, who is the same company who has been protecting W52 in the last cycling races they attended.

An organization known for backing the current president of the sports team and his squad, who has several associations to corruption and who has a son very active in dealing the assets of the team, at times in clear prejudice of the sporting interest of the team.

And an organization where some members are associated with drug trafficking and with internal disputes that resulted in the killing of one of them by other members of the support group during the last football title celebrations which sparked a climate of threats and attacks throughout the city of Porto (a great city, not to be associated with the club - which had everything to be a reputable club if not for the group of shady people who took its reigns) in the subsequent weeks.