BERLIN : Italian cyclist Alessandro Petacchi was sacked by his German team on Friday after he was banned for doping.

The Milram team said they had decided to cancel the 34-year-old sprinter's contract after he tested positive for salbutamol during the 2007 Tour of Italy.

"All infractions of internal rules are the object of a sanction and this is also true for Alessandro Petacchi," Milram general manager Gerry van Gerwen said in a statement.

"The Milram team has decided to cancel the contract of Alessandro Petacchi."

The rider was banned for a year on May 6 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) but the suspension will end on August 31.

Petacchi, who was in possession of a therapeutic authorisation (AUT) for the inhalation of salbutamol, tested positive on May 23 last year after the 11th stage of the Giro which he had won.

His urine sample contained a level of salbutamol of 1320 nanograms per millilitre. The maximum level for those with an AUT is 1000 nanograms.

The Italian Cycling Federation cleared him of wrong-doing, putting the result down to human error, but the Italian Olympic Committee (Coni) took the case to CAS and asked that he be banned for two years.

The Italian is one of the greatest sprinters of all time having won 24 Giro stages, including an incredible nine in 2004 alone. He has also enjoyed more than 150 wins during his illustrious career.

- AFP /ls