Juventus doctor wins doping appeal
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Article summary
Juventus team doctor Riccardo Agricola and managing director Antonio Giraudo have both been cleared of sporting fraud by Turin's court of appeal.
Article body
Juventus team doctor Riccardo Agricola and managing director Antonio Giraudo have both been cleared of sporting fraud by Turin's court of appeal.
Overturned conviction
The court overturned Agricola's previous conviction for administering banned substances to players between 1994 and 1998, including the hormone EPO, which stimulates the body's production of red blood cells. He was given a 22-month suspended prison sentence in November 2004.
'Very happy'
Giraudo was cleared at the original trial, but Turin public prosecutor Raffaele Guarinello had asked the court of appeal to reconsider the evidence. "Justice has finally been served," said Giraudo after the verdict was announced. "It is a great day for us. I am very happy and excited. We never lost hope because we knew we were innocent."