Court rules in favour of Rasmussen

by Jens on Jul 2, 2008 6:48 AM EDT

The dutch court has found that Michael Rasmussen was unjustly fired by Rabobank and has ordered them to pay a fine of 665 000 Euro (equalling two months pay plus the bonuses he would have earned by a win in the TdF). They agree that there was enough evidence to support Rasmussens claim that the team were aware of his whereabouts all along, and therefore could not claim to be have been decieved by the rider.

The amount was nowhere near the 5 million Rasmussen had demanded but it will still place Rabobank in difficulty as the sponsor have said they will withdraw their support if the court found that the Rabo management knew of Rasmussens whereabouts-cheating. That they will indeed withdraw seems unlikely but the ruling might have disastrous effects.

Source : De Telegraaf

1 recs | Comment 18 comments

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Doh.

by Sui Juris on Jul 2, 2008 8:38 AM EDT 0 recs

As we see

you play with fire and you will get burned. So difficulty that the team managed to dodge in being barred from the Tour has come back to bite them just before the start. And right around the time that major and minor sponsors are being wooed.

I still think Rasmussen is a lying little fuck, but the team comes off just as bad in the ruling (I’m guessing – I don’t read Dutch). Jens, did any other major European news outlets pick this up and if so, what are they saying?

"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubblegum."

by Drew... on Jul 2, 2008 8:41 AM EDT 0 recs

Bad for Rabo, bad for ASO, bad for UCI, bad for the arbitration system

I would understand it if the Rabo sponsors drop the team. Somewhere they have to feel that all trust is out the window- unless they knew what was happening. The $$ amount isn’t too much to prevent them from continuing (unlike if Chicken had won all of what he wanted) so we’ll see. Still somewhere heads in management will roll.

ASO just looks like a douche bag (a technical law term). UCI too. They either have no control over the team managers and/or their natural affiliations with management (and against the riders) is biting them in the ass.

I also say that this puts a black eye on the sports arbitration system. The day after Rasmussen – and Rasmussen alone- gets suspended, a court finds that he wasn’t acting alone. Management’s role would never have come to light in the cycling federation/arbitration appeals system riders routinely lose in.

by ursula on Jul 2, 2008 9:41 AM EDT 0 recs

Appeal

I can see this going to appeal quickly. If it doesn’t then hopefully Rabo will stay on as a sponsor. I guess the only shining nugget is that they are a bank and I bet that penalty won’t hurt a whole lot.

by spokejunky on Jul 2, 2008 10:00 AM EDT 0 recs

Doesn't sound like it will be appealed

Both parties got a little something in the ruling. Ras got a decent chunk of change and the ruling says that Rabo was in principal right in firing him, only the timing was incorrect according to the prerequisites for firing in dutch law.

by Jens on Jul 2, 2008 10:25 AM EDT up 0 recs

Si

This is how I understood it – that the team was fined for not giving 2 months notice according to Dutch law. I don’t think the judge ruled on whether Rabo knew and/or lied about Ras’s whereabouts.

by gavia on Jul 2, 2008 10:32 AM EDT up 0 recs

"could have or should have"

According to the ESPN article,

“could have or should have” known weeks before firing him that he had lied about his whereabouts.

So the Judge didn’t rule on weather the team management knew, but he thinks they probably did or at least should have if they were doing their work.

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/cycling/news/story?id=3470325&campaign=rss&source=OLYHeadlines

by ursula on Jul 2, 2008 10:37 AM EDT up 0 recs

TWO MONTHS!!

So some guy goes on a rampage in the office, flipping desks and throwing things out the window, and the manager’s response is “You’d better find another place to work… two months from now!”

Also, how stupid was it for the team not to pay Ras for his two months? It’s not like they would have been forced to race him; they could just say his firing won’t be effective til September and leave him back in the barn. Do they have a single lawyer on staff? Do they even know any?

"If writing too much about the Classics is wrong, I don't want to be right."

by Chris... on Jul 2, 2008 11:22 AM EDT up 0 recs

Maybe you should forward them

your CV.

"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubblegum."

by Drew... on Jul 2, 2008 11:24 AM EDT up 0 recs

I think we should wait for a complete translation

The way I understood it the court found fault in Rabos way of firing Rasmussen. They had the legal right to terminate him immidiately for extraordinary reasons but in order to excercise that right they would have had to fire him directly when they found out. Instead they didn’t do so until the Tour ,when it all became public knowledge, and thereby they forfeited the right to use that particular legal opportunity and should have followed normal termination procedures.

But as I said , a full translation would be best before making judgements.

by Jens on Jul 2, 2008 11:39 AM EDT up 0 recs

OK fine

But I stand by my incredulity at the Dutch law.

"If writing too much about the Classics is wrong, I don't want to be right."

by Chris... on Jul 2, 2008 11:54 AM EDT up 0 recs

Dutch law currentlly working on

how to keep it legal to smoke wacky tobaccy in coffeshops while banning ordinary smoking. Not an easy task that.

by Jens on Jul 2, 2008 1:51 PM EDT up 0 recs

I wonder if they're working on that in our western states? :-P

"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."

by nikki on Jul 2, 2008 3:50 PM EDT up 0 recs

Since when

have I ever let the facts influence my thinking? ;)

by Katiek on Jul 2, 2008 11:55 AM EDT up 0 recs

Maybe Rabo will go the way of Astana?

Robobank is one of the last great icons of this sport.
I can think of no company that has supported the top tier of racing in such a broad spectrum disciplines for both male and female racers.

I would like to hope they will not pull out, and at the most they will flush the current management crew for someone else.

by Ryan_Liles on Jul 2, 2008 10:25 AM EDT 1 recs