Simona Halep sued Quantum Nutrition, the Canadian company that produced the supplement allegedly contaminated with Roxadustat, demanding $10 million in damages. The Romanian's gesture irritated the journalist Cristian Tudor Popescu, who thinks it was late and done at a totally inappropriate moment.
Ion Țiriac, Simona Halep's advisor. Photo EPA EFE
The journalist believes that Simona Halep was badly advised by Ion Țiriac to sue Quantum Nutrition and believes that Halep has no chance of winning at the CAS. “There is no way he will win the case at the CAS. The athlete is responsible. This is the regulation, although, as I argued and will argue until the end, Simona did not consciously take this prohibited substance. Mr. Mouratoglou introduced her with his team, without her even being warned about it.
The fault belongs to this staff, but Simona rightly suffers what is happening to her. He deserves what's happening to him for firing his SMS staff and throwing himself into the hands of this guy and his team without any backup. With everything, weapons and baggage, he was basically at Mouratoglou's mercy. After that, he covered Mouratoglou for so long.
Cristian Tudor Popescu emphasizes the mistakes made by Simona Halep. Inquam's photo
A year later this individual woke up to say that he was the one who prescribed the supplement and that he was responsible for it. A year in which Simona was tortured in every way. For the attitude that Simona had from the beginning, and then because he protected him Mouratoglou deserves what's happening to him”said Cristian Tudor Popescu, for sport.ro.
Will spend other money on lawyers
“In my opinion, it will not be successful at all. It's a kind of nervous response of Simona to act, to react in some way after the TAS judgement. He probably feels that the decision will not be favorable to him in the end and that's when he chose this retaliatory move by asking for the 10 million dollars.
Of course it will be a long process, she will spend money on lawyers and so on, but in my opinion with little chance of success. How do I know if the amount is correct? $10 million rings round. Probably Ion Țiriac gave him this advice. He could have asked for $100 million. It has absolutely no relevance. In my opinion, it really hurts (no – that he is suing the Canadian company), commented CTP..
Roxadustat is not powdered sugar or celery
Why is he suing them now? I, a year ago, when I heard about this story, I said this: «It is not possible that Roxadustat, which is a rare drug, with prohibitions, which is difficult to find in hospitals, with so many adverse effects, can be found in a dietary supplement. You can't do something like that, because it's not powdered sugar or celery»”added Cristian Tudor Popescu.
“A year ago, we were saying that, if that's the case, then Simona Halep's first move is to sue the production company and ask them for many millions of dollars, but she didn't do this for a year. That would have been natural. she I didn't even mention this supplement initially at TAS. Then, when things got complicated, he talked about him. The fact that he comes now with this decision is slightly late and even ridiculous”, he appreciated CTP.
Simona Halep sued the Canadian company in a New York state court in Manhattan. Quantum, based in Scarborough, Ont., would not comment on the matter. The firm's founder told Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail in October that Halep was just looking for a scapegoat.
