The DFB sports tribunal has rejected an application for bias against an expert in the doping case of soccer professional Mario Vuskovic.
According to the statement by the German Football Association, this is unfounded. The lawyers for the Hamburger SV professional had previously filed a corresponding application against the Canadian expert Jean-Francois Naud. After the first two days of negotiations, the sports court decided that it wanted to consult the expert.
“There are no reasons that are suitable to justify distrust of the impartiality of the rejected expert,” says the DFB announcement. Vuskovic’s lawyers had questioned Naud’s independence because he belonged to the Wada expert group for Epo. Vuskovic had tested positive for the blood doping agent erythropoietin (Epo). The “examination and evaluation of an analysis for the detection of exogenous Epo” can only be carried out by a few experts, the court justified. The fact that experts exchange ideas in working groups is not objectionable.
The DFB sports court, chaired by Stephan Oberholz, decided last week to have the expert clarify open circumstances and questions. The next day of the hearing was scheduled for March 10th. Vuskovic’s lawyers had presented four expert opinions to challenge the Croatian’s positive doping test. The 21-year-old was suspended after the test on September 16, 2022 and has maintained his innocence. (dpa)