The Unibet.com cycling team will come to an end when this year is over, due to the withdrawal of sponsorship from the online gambling powerhouse.
The pronouncement by the Swedish gambling company Unibet comes after a prolonged disagreement with French race organizers, who snubbed the team, due to France’s protectionist ban on foreign gambling advertising.
The team, captain and general manager have indicated an expectation of the decision since the Tour de France earlier this year. Unibet.com was stopped from taking part in this year’s Tour de France, and was banned from the Paris-Nice road race. The International Cycling Union (UCI), as well as European Union regulators have been backing the Unibet.com team throughout the dispute, but have failed to convince French race organizers to change their minds.
Team general manager Koen Terryn condemned the Amaury Sports Organization, which runs the Tour de France, for not including the team in the race. “We’re the victim of the steps taken by the ASO,” he told VRT a local Austrian news station.
The decision comes five days after the Discovery Channel team announced it would also disband at the end of the season. Discovery, Lance Armstrong’s old team which won this year’s Tour de France behind Spaniard Alberto Contador, said the recent doping scandals in the sport has made it difficult to attract new sponsors.
Earlier this week, UCI President Pat McQuaid held top race organizers responsible for scaring away sponsors. “If sponsors aren’t guaranteed their team can race, they won’t commit to the sport,” McQuaid said.
Unibet.com’s Matteo Carrara of Italy finished fourth overall in this year’s Tour de Suisse. Chief Executive Petter Nylander said the cycling team’s problems had added extensively to the company’s legal costs.”Despite increased activity from the EU Commission, short-term the resistance remains on a national level,” Nylander said. “Amongst other things this has adversely affected the Unibet sponsored cycling team.”
In the end, Unibet.com will no longer provide sponsorship for the cycling team, until the European Union can advance their objectives in this area. The obstacles for the cycling team, are mounting for the company, and creating more of a barrier for the talent on the team.
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