French Newspaper Le Monde To Pay Damages To Real, Barcelona For Linking Clubs To Doping

Spain's Supreme Court has ordered French newspaper Le Monde to pay damages of €300,000 ($411,270) to Real Madrid and €15,000 ($20,586) to Barcelona for "linking the football clubs to a notorious doping doctor, Eufemiano Fuentes," who was implicated in the Operation Puerto doping case, according to MARCA. Le Monde wrote in Dec. '06 that it had "seen handwritten notes by Fuentes over 'preparation plans'" for Real Madrid and Barcelona. Le Monde "had appealed to the Supreme Court" after provincial courts "ruled in favor of the Spanish giants." Barcelona had "sued for the same amount as Madrid but received less due to a technical oversight in its complaint" (MARCA, 2/24).