Astana future in doubt.

11/24/2009 2:52:23 PM

Tour de France champion Alberto Contador could find himself without a team after cycling's ruling body made new demands of financial guarantees from the Kazakh-backed team.

Kazakh Cycling Federation deputy president Nikolai Proskurin said that the International Cycling Union are demanding a bank guarantee of Astana's annual budget before it will renew its ProTour license.

Contador seemed certain of a team last week, when the Kazakh government pledged $22 million in financial support for next season.

UCI has given Astana until Wednesday to provide the guarantee, but Proskurin said it is unlikely the issue can be resolved by then.

Failure to secure the ProTour license will force Astana to release Contador - the world's top-ranked rider.

Bruyneel conspiracy

Proskurin said Astana is the only team being subjected to such rigorous financial demands by UCI.

"It seems to me that they don't want an Asian team in the ProTour, and for it to beat European teams,'' he said.

The team's current racing license is due to expire at the end of next year, but recurring delays in paying salaries to riders caused the UCI to demand guarantees on the team's financial viability by the end of last week.

Proskurin said Samruk-Kazyna provided UCI with a pledge worth $22 million a season for the next four years to back Astana.

UCI has rejected assurances from Samruk-Kazyna, the state holding company which has underwritten the amount, and demanded a financial guarantee from a bank, he said.

"But a guarantee from Samruk-Kazyna is much more important, because it has the stamp of approval of the government itself,'' Proskurin said.

According to Proskurin, the campaign to have Astana excluded from competing next year has been orchestrated by influential former team manager Johan Bruyneel.

"Bruyneel told us that he would do everything possible to ensure that they withdrew our license,'' Proskurin said.

Bruyneel, who now manages Lance Armstrong's Radio Shack, parted ways with

Astana in July amid an acrimonious dispute over the planned return of Kazakh

rider Alexander Vinokourov.

Vinokourov was banned for two years for blood doping during the 2007 Tour de France, forcing Astana out of the competition.

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