Basso slammed by media for his doping announcement

dpa German Press Agency Published: Wednesday May 9, 2007

Hamburg- Ivan Basso was named a liar as his announcement to
have only planned doping - but never committed it - drew harsh
international media reactions on Wednesday.
"From hero to liar," said Swiss daily Tagesanzeiger bluntly about
the Italian cyclist's statements from Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters in Milan a day after his alleged confession
to Italian sports prosecutors about his involvement in a Spanish
doping scheme, Basso said "I admit to having attempted to dope
(myself) ahead of the (2006) Tour de France" and that "I have always
won clean."

The statement was named as "lukewarm" (Switzerland's Basler
Zeitung), Spain's Marca spoke of a "farce" and British daily The
Guardian drew a comparison to former United States president Bill
Clinton.

"The Tour of Italy winner Ivan Basso's defence against doping
allegations was following the path taken famously by the former US
president Bill Clinton when he declared he had smoked marijuana but
did not inhale," said The Guardian.

The Italian media was as merciless with its Giro d'Italia
champion.

"Basso's bomb turns into a jumping-cracker," said La Nuova
Sardegna, others including La Gazzetta dello Sport spoke of "full
breaking" by Basso, and Il Manifesto said that "Basso quickly went
into reverse."

But, with Italian authorities continuing their investigation and
the Spanish probe reportedly linking Basso to 2004 payments to the
alleged mastermind, doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, the truth may still be
heard, some papers said.

"Ivan still has the chance to speak out for himself before he is
forced to do so," said La Gazzetta dello Sport. Corriere della Sera
said: "Basso, you have no choice: tell the truth."

Belgium's Het Laaste Nieuws said the first news Monday had led to
big hopes to shed further light into the Spanish affair, but that
Basso did then not dare to implicate other riders.

"The leader group has nothing to fear from Basso. There is no way
that he will deliver his cycling colleagues and clients of Fuentes
to the gallow," said Het Laaste News.

© 2006 - dpa German Press Agency

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