Rádio Popular-Paredes-Boavista removing Daniel Freitas from the Tour of Portugal
“I confirm ourselves at Daniel Freitas’s house. Regardless of whether we don’t know if he was made a defendant or not – he knows nothing -, because it wasn’t just at the end of the morning, looking for him for now, studying him on the Volta a Portugal” , revealed to Lusa José Santos.
According to the sports director of Rádio Popular-Paredes-Boavista, “if any fact that could be considered illegal is confirmed”, Daniel Freitas “is expelled from the team”. “The contract is terminated”, he reinforced.
José Santos clarified that the searches carried out today by the Judiciary Police within the scope of the ‘Clean Proof’ operation focused only on the 31-year-old rider, who in the past did not wear the yellow jersey of the Volta a Portugal, and not on the team.
Freitas, who represented W52-FC Porto between 2016 and 2018, will be replaced on Thursday in Boavista by Rádio Popular-Paredes for the 83rd Volta a Portugal, which starts on the fair in Lisbon, by the Spaniard.
The local Judiciary Police carried out today the search “in linked to Limpa deciclova” as part of the operation `Source evidence linked to the investigation, investigating that the main thing was the collection of evidence, specified in the documentation`.
The same source said that the PJ “carried out in various parts of the country, simultaneously, in places linked to cycling equipment, within the scope of the `Clean Test` operation”, with these “as main objective the collection of evidence, namely of documentation and not a detection of any suspect”.
As happens two days before the start of the 83rd Tour of Portugal by bike, which will be on the road between Thursday and August 15th.
At the end of April, 10 W52-FC Porto runners were appointed, defendants and the team’s sports director, Nuno Ribeiro, was even arrested, as was his deputy, José Rodrigues, during the `Prova Li` operation, in charge of Investigation. and Criminal Action (DIAP) of Porto.
“The police operation took place a total of about 120 elements from the Northern Directorate and also from the Criminal Corruption Combat Units of Braga, Vila Real and Guarda, still in collaboration with the ADoP”, detailed the PJ, on 24 April, indicating that during the same “various substances and clinical instruments were seized, in training and with an impact on their sports performance”.
Last week, the International Cycling Union (UCI) withdrew its sports license from the W52-FC Porto, after eight of its cyclists, in addition to two staff members, were preventively suspended by the Anti-Doping Authority of Portugal (ADoP).