A four-year suspension for refusing to undergo an anti-doping test. That is the sanction handed down to Enrico Mantovani, a Libertas player, following an incident at the end of the match against Juvenes on 29 April.
The test was part of the anti-doping efforts carried out for nearly ten years by the National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO) together with the San Marino Football Federation, which conducts periodic checks in both 11-a-side football and futsal. At the end of the Juvenes-Libertas match, Mantovani was required to undergo the test but, according to the NADO, he refused without valid reason.
After examining the case, the Results Management Authority found a violation of Article 2.3 of the anti-doping regulations, concerning the evasion, refusal or failure to submit to sample collection. A four-year suspension, running from 30 April 2026 to 29 April 2030, was subsequently imposed.
NADO president Claudio Muccioli explained that one of the harshest sanctions available had been applied, describing the athlete’s conduct as “unacceptable.” According to the NADO, the unjustified refusal to take the test warranted “an exemplary sanction.”
