Decision in Vuskovic case postponed again

The third day of the doping trial of HSV professional Mario Vuskovic before the DFB sports court in Frankfurt lasted just under four hours. Then DFB sports judge Stephan Oberholz ended the session without pronouncing a verdict. "We need appropriate time," said Oberholz, who announced "a written decision depending on the duration of the deliberations probably within the next two weeks". Oberholz continued: "The sports court must and will thoroughly deal with the results of the taking of evidence, the objections of the defence, the complex scientific framework and the legal consequences that may result from it. This requires intensive and elaborate deliberation, which could not be completed in a reasonable amount of time today after the conclusion of the hearing."

For HSV and Vuskovic's lawyers, there was unanimity after the meeting, which had again dealt with the evaluation of the defender's A and B samples and various scientific objections from internationally recognised experts. Their statement read: "From our point of view, there can still only be an acquittal because the necessary proof of a doping violation by Mario Vuskovic has not been provided. However, we understand that the DFB Sports Tribunal is taking its time in these complex proceedings to comprehensively assess the entire evidence once again and to take into account the impressions of today's oral proceedings. The fact that the DFB Control Committee does not consider the regulations stemming from WADA to be appropriate in the present case shows, in our view, that there is also unease there regarding a conviction of the player on the basis of the applicable statutes."

Mario Vuskovic, who now has to be patient again before the DFB Sports Court announces a verdict, had once again proclaimed his innocence at the end of the hearing of evidence and after the closing arguments in the DFB "Golden Goal" campus hall: "I have never cheated in sport, and I never will. Every day I wish that this nightmare would end."