Boxing: Tyson Fury botched case cost UK Anti-Doping 7% of entire annual budget

Tyson Fury. Photo / Getty Images.

UK Anti-Doping spent more than seven per cent of its entire annual budget on a pursuit of Tyson Fury that ended with him being cleared to return to the ring.

The agency has revealed that the case against Fury and his cousin Hughie cost almost £600,000 (NZ$1.15m) in legal fees alone after being forced to disclose how much mainly-public money it ploughed into its botched prosecution of the pair.

The Furys accepted backdated two-year bans in December after testing positive for the steroid nandrolone in February 2015, on which they blamed eating uncastrated wild boar.

That was amid fears the case could effectively bankrupt Ukad, which has a budget of £8 million (NZ$15.35m), if it lost and the boxers took legal action for loss of earnings.

The agency published the costs associated with its prosecution of the Furys following a Freedom of Information request it initially rejected but was forced to comply with on appeal.

It revealed it had paid leading London law firm Bird & Bird £576,587 (NZ$1.1m), spent £1,130 (NZ$2,169) in barrister fees, and forked out nearly £8,000 (NZ$15,355) for laboratory work, bringing its total costs to £585,659 (NZ$1.12m).

It said it should be able to recoup £250,000 (NZ$479,850) of its costs from its legal insurance, reducing the final bill to £335,659 (NZ$644,264).

Ukad was forced to strike a deal with the Furys after what chief executive Nicole Sapstead admitted had been its "failure" to inform the fighters they could face action until charging them 16 months after nandrolone was discovered in their urine.

Despite having also announced an inquest into the case, Sapstead said: "The money spent in the Fury case shows that if we determine there is evidence of doping, we will pursue a case against an athlete, coach or doctor, regardless of their public profile or status.

"In this case, two anti-doping rule violations were upheld and two-year bans given to each athlete.

"As an arm's length body of government, we are always careful about how we spend public money, and the consistent support of the Ukad board and the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport ensures our legal decisions are made for the right reasons and not financial ones."

Ukad rejected an FOI request to reveal its correspondence with DCMS about these costs, a decision that was upheld on appeal.

The agency was last month handed a £6.1million (NZ$11.7m) funding boost by DCMS over the next two years, lifting its total annual budget to £11million (NZ$21.11m).

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