Known as Gabigol, the 27-year-old Brazilian was alleged to
have been uncooperative during a surprise doping test at club headquarters in
Rio de Janeiro.
The punishment, which can be appealed, is backdated to April
8 last year, when the events occurred.
He failed to comply with the schedule, disrespected the
doping officers and refused to obey instructions, local media said.
“The aforementioned athlete was tried today by the Full
Court of Sports Anti-Doping and, by majority, it was decided that a violation
of the anti-doping rule of fraud had occurred,” the court said in a statement
sent to AFP.
Gabigol subsequently hit back on social media, saying “I
never tried to obstruct or defraud any test.”
“I am confident I will be found innocent at the highest
court,” he added.
Flamengo said in a statement it would support its player and
assist with his appeal “because there was no type of fraud”.
On the testing day, Gabigol’s teammates underwent testing in
the morning while he ignored a request to be present and attended after
lunchtime, according to the accusation.
When he finally arrived to be tested, he reportedly became
upset because an officer escorted him to the bathroom.
Furthermore, he did not respect the sample collection
protocol, according to the accusation.
A key figure in Flamengo’s 2019 domestic league and Copa
Libertadores titles, Gabigol has consistently denied having tried to cheat in
the test.
“The Flamengo player has confirmed that the test has been
carried out and the result was negative,” his lawyer said in December, when the
allegations first surfaced.
“In view of this information, there is nothing that could
compromise or violate the protocol,” the lawyer added.
Gabigol had disappointing spells at Portugal’s Benfica as
well as at Inter Milan in Italy having come through Santos’ academy, before
joining Flamengo in 2019.
His return to form for Flamengo earned him call-ups to the
Brazil squad and he made the last of his 18 international appearances in
January 2022.
Gabigol’s contract with Flamengo expires in December.
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