Bizarre doping case in Portugal concluded: team bosses heavy prison sentences, riders also punished

A major doping case in Portugal has reached its conclusion. The biggest scandal in Portuguese cycling had the sport firmly in its grip, but after three years there is finally a verdict. The case surrounding the W52/FC Porto team has been closed, with several key figures now learning their punishment.

Portugal may not be regarded as one of the world’s traditional cycling powerhouses, but the Iberian nation does have a strong cycling culture. Portuguese riders are particularly well represented at Continental level, and with nine Continental teams, only France has more. Races such as the Volta a Portugal and the GP Internacional Torres Vedras may be lower-tier events, but they carry significant prestige domestically.

In recent years, Anicolor/Tien 21 have dominated the Portuguese scene, but that was not always the case. Previously, W52/FC Porto - the cycling team linked to the famous football club - ruled the national peloton. For a decade, the squad was a major force in Portuguese cycling, providing a home both for young domestic talents and for experienced veterans nearing the end of their careers.

The team first came under scrutiny back in 2018, when Raúl Alarcón was caught in a doping case and subsequently suspended. At the time, it seemed like an isolated incident, but it later proved to be only the beginning. In 2022, team manager Nuno Ribeiro was arrested for his involvement in a doping investigation. Further police inquiries followed, leading to the arrest of team owner Adriano Quintanilha and ten riders. It marked the start of an enormous legal case.

Operation Prova Limpa (“Clean Test”) was launched as the investigation gathered pace. The UCI did not wait for the legal verdict and imposed a 25-year ban on Ribeiro. A lengthy court case followed, which even drew in FC Porto president Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa. In court, the language was stark: prosecutors spoke of a “dictatorship” within the team, where riders were pressured into using banned substances.

The judge has now finally delivered a ruling, stating that “almost all facts” presented by the public prosecutor had been proven. Team owner Quintanilha was found to have paid for doping products, while Ribeiro acted as the intermediary between management and the riders. The sentence was severe: both men received prison terms of four years and nine months.

The riders themselves were also tried, but will not be required to serve immediate prison time. The judge described them as “the weakest link” in the scandal, noting that their health had also been put at risk. Nonetheless, they were found guilty and handed suspended prison sentences of two and a half years. It is already known that Ribeiro, at least, intends to appeal the verdict.