Football
Reuters 16y

Soccer-Le Monde ordered to compensate Barcelona for doping story

MADRID, Jan 15 - French daily Le Monde has been
ordered by a Spanish court to pay Barcelona 300,000 euros in
compensation for linking the club with the doctor at the centre
of the Operation Puerto doping investigation.

Barcelona said the ruling from a Barcelona court also stated
that Le Monde should publish a correction about the articles,
which appeared in the paper on Dec. 7 and 8 in 2006, in its
printed and online editions and in two leading Catalan dailies.

"The verdict satisfies Barcelona's desire for the
publication of a correction of the articles which will deny any
links between Barcelona and Eufemiano Fuentes and deny any links
between the club and any doping practices," the club said in a
statement on Tuesday.

Le Monde have the right to appeal against the ruling to a
higher court.

Barca and fellow Primera Liga sides Real Madrid, Real Betis
and Valencia, who were also mentioned in the articles, have also
denied having any relationship with Fuentes.

Fuentes was accused of committing offences against public
health after raids on addresses in Spain in May 2006 found large
quantities of anabolic steroids, laboratory equipment used for
blood transfusions and more than 100 bags of frozen blood.

Last March, a Spanish judge ruled that although there had
been clear evidence of doping practices, Fuentes had not been
guilty of offences against public health.

The state prosecutor has appealed against the decision.
(Reporting by Simon Baskett)

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