Nikola Portner can breathe a sigh of relief. The executive committee of the German Handball Bundesliga has cleared the Swiss national goalkeeper in the service of SC Magdeburg in the doping case.
Portner is no longer suspected of doping abuse. The acquittal is a great relief for him, who has always maintained his innocence. The verdict lifts his suspension with immediate effect. The 30-year-old Bernese player does not have to fear a ban by the competent authorities of the Bundesliga.
The official announcement from the league states, among other things, that the amount of the banned substance methamphetamine detected in Portner's body was too low, "that active use and a performance-enhancing effect can be ruled out and that neither intentional nor culpable use can be assumed".
It was therefore "far more likely" that it was a case of "contamination through no fault of his own via an alternative route conclusively explained by the athlete". This was also confirmed by the hair and urine samples taken.
Neither intent nor fault
"In addition, the athlete's lifestyle and habits, which have been confirmed by many people accompanying him, make the deliberate consumption of doping substances appear very unlikely," the communiqué continues. "Against this background, the Bundesliga Executive Committee considers it to be overwhelmingly likely that there was neither intent nor fault on the part of the athlete." The decision in Portner's favor was unanimous.
The bad time for Portner began in mid-April. During a doping test, he was found to have used methamphetamine. The synthetically produced substance is known colloquially as crystal meth. As a logical consequence of the positive result, the German Bundesliga officials provisionally suspended the suspect from playing. This also brought Portner into the focus of the public prosecutor's office, which launched an investigation. Shortly after his suspension, he had to endure a house search, during which the investigators were unable to find anything suspicious.
A few days later, the public prosecutor's office in Germany provided initial relief for Portner by closing the investigation. There were no indications that the accused had violated the Anti-Doping Act or the Narcotics Act, the judicial authorities explained their decision. However, the matter was not yet over for the Swiss athlete.
On the contrary, the suspected case picked up speed again at the beginning of May. The B sample confirmed the positive result of the A sample. Disciplinary proceedings were initiated and Portner was threatened with a ban of several years. His career was on the line, as was his reputation.
