Convicted doper and two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador claims Lance Armstrong has been mistreated.

Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life after not contesting a United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) report which branded him a “serial” cheat who led “the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen”.

But Contador, who had his 2010 Tour victory struck off the record books after testing positive for clenbuterol, believes the American is being made a scapegoat.

“He is being humiliated and lynched, in my opinion. He is being destroyed,” said Contador. “At certain times and places Lance is not being treated with any respect.”

Despite UCI president Pat McQuaid saying Armstrong has “no place in cycling” Contador believes he has done more good than harm to the sport.

“Right now people are talking about Lance but there has not been any new test or anything. It’s based on witness statements that could have existed in 2005.

“What I do know is that if cycling is popular in the USA, it is thanks to him. If they know over there what the Tour, is it’s thanks to him. If there are top-level teams and races in his country, it’s thanks to him.”

Meanwhile, golfing superstar Tiger Woods has also offered his opinion on the Armstrong scandal.

Woods has a multi-million dollar endorsement deal with Nike, who ditched Armstrong in light of the USADA’s report, and said: “We just implemented testing probably three years ago I think it is. It’s just urine samples, but that’s certainly a positive step in the right direction.”

“With the testing, it’s only enhanced that respectability throughout all of sport.”

 

* For breaking news, follow us on @Sport_360 or find us on Facebook.