Portuguese Football Team Suspended: Blood Passport Scandal
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Portuguese Cycling Team Tavira Suspended for Passport Violations
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Published September 30, 2025
The UCI has suspended Portuguese professional cycling team Tavira after two riders registered abnormal blood values within a 12-month period, triggering a rule that mandates team suspension.
What Happened?
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) suspended Tavira Cycling Team, one of Portugal’s oldest professional cycling teams, on September 30, 2025, due to violations of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) program.The suspension prevents the team from competing for the remainder of the 2025 season.
The violations stem from abnormal blood values detected in two riders: venceslau Fernandes,flagged in November 2024,and Delio Fernández Cruz,notified in July 2025. Both anomalies originated in 2023, and an expert panel steadfast they overlapped within the required 12-month timeframe for triggering a team suspension.
Neither rider has been formally sanctioned individually at this time. However, UCI rules dictate that a team faces suspension when two riders exhibit passport violations within a year.this is the frist instance of a team suspension since 2021, when the Vini-Zabù team faced a similar fate and subsequently folded.
The Athlete Biological Passport program
The Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) is a key component of anti-doping efforts in cycling and other sports. Overseen by the International Testing Agency (ITA) and the Lausanne Anti-Doping Laboratory (APMU), the ABP compiles longitudinal data on athletes’ blood profiles. This ongoing monitoring allows for the detection of subtle changes that may indicate doping, even in the absence of a positive test for a prohibited substance. An expert panel reviews flagged results to determine if further examination is warranted.
Impact on Tavira Cycling team
The suspension is a notable blow to Tavira, a team with roots dating back to the late 1970s. The team is now unable to participate in any UCI-sanctioned events for the remainder of the 2025 season. The future of the team remains uncertain, mirroring the fate of the vini-Zabù team, wich dissolved after a similar suspension in 2021.
Previous Team Suspension: Vini-Zabù
The suspension of Tavira echoes a similar situation with the Italian Vini-Zabù team in 2021. Two riders on that team also triggered the 12-month violation rule, leading to the team’s suspension. Vini-Zabù ultimately ceased operations at the end of that season, highlighting the severe consequences of repeated anti-doping rule violations.