Saids orders Bibo to shut it

THE SA Institute for DrugFree Sport (Saids) has warned banished Orlando Pirates midfielder Thandani Ntshumayelo and his lawyers to stop making defamatory statements in the press. Ntshumayelo was slapped with a four-year ban last month after testing positive for cocaine. His urine was sampled after the match between Pirates and Platinum Stars at Orlando Stadium on January 9. According to Saids, it confirmed the presence of Benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of Cocaine. The 26-year-old was given until Wednesday to appeal the ban. Instead of appealing, the player and his lawyers, Langa Attorneys, opted to demand that Saids lift the ban by September 2 or they would go to court to have the analytical report set aside. They claim Saids’ findings are unreliable Langa Attorneys are accusing Saids of conducting the drugs test at a suspended and prohibited doping control laboratory” at the University of Free State.

It is public knowledge that from March 2016 the aforesaid laboratory has been under renovations so that its facilities should meet the stringent requirements of Wada (World Anti-Doping Agency)... [Despite this] Saids knowingly utilised the laboratory as the facility to conduct tests of our Client’s urine sample A,” claimed Langa Attorneys in their letter to Saids.

Langa Attorneys also stated: It is our considered view that both Saids and the South African Doping Control Laboratory conspired to destroy our client’s football career by knitting falsehood and mischief in order to achieve the unlawful intent.”

The lawyers had demanded a response from Saids by September 7, but Saids only did so on September 12.

Of great concern to Saids is that the allegations, which they consider to be baseless, are portraying Saids in bad light. As a result, Saids have sent a strong statement to Sunday World in a bid to set the record straight.