Searches cause controversy. Daniel Freitas away from the Tour of Portugal
“ÇI confirm the searches at Daniel Freitas’s house. -regardless of whether José Santos was appointed or not – we don’t know anything, we don’t know just because we don’t know anything.
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 were carried out today by the Judiciary Police within the scope of the ‘Clean Proof’ operation only on the 31-year-old runner, who did not wear the yellow 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 Judiciary Police today carried out local searches “in connection with cycling events” within the scope of the “Clean Proof, confirmed to Lusa source for the investigation, declaring that the “main was the collection of evidence, documentation”.
The same source detailed that the PJ “carried out searches in various parts of the country, simultaneously, in connection with cycling equipment, within the scope of the ‘Clean Proof’ operation”, having these “as main objective the collection of evidence, namely 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 named defendants and the team’s sports director, Nuno Ribeiro, was even arrested, as was his deputy, José Rodrigues, during the ‘Clean Test’ 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 members of the staff, were preventively suspended by the Anti-Doping Authority of Portugal (ADoP).