The Silent Ban, Not A Conspiracy Theory Any More

Who do we think of when we see the words "Silent Ban"?

I don't know about you,  but it is definitely not the name of Marin Cilic that springs  to my mind...
However, his recent suspension due to testing positive in Munich is exactly that.

Croatian newspaper Jutarnji List was the one that broke the news and The Guardian picked up on the story.

In short: Cilic got caught doping but the ITF is still quiet about it. Or, if you prefer - silent.

Cilic found about the result at the beginning of Wimbledon and had to lie about having injured knee and withdraw from his second round match against de Schepper.

Cilic has been punished as he has not been allowed to play, but nobody knows about it, as ITF and ATP deem it's smarter to protect us fans from the shock of knowing the ugly truth.

Steve Tignor wrote a good article about it questioning the moral standing of ITF that encourages lying as opposed to transparency.

"The “silent ban” has long been a favorite fallback for doping conspiracy theorists, something that's mentioned when virtually any player is sidelined for an extended period. Nadal even had to deny that he had served one to a reporter when his seven-month hiatus ended in February. The suspicion is that the sport needs to punish cheaters, but doesn't want to undermine its credibility with the public. Now, in light of the Cilic report, there’s more reason to believe the conspiracy-minded. Whether his situation constitutes a silent ban, or whether a positive test and suspension is eventually made public, it’s probably only a slight exaggeration to say that every injury claim in the immediate future will be greeted with some degree of skepticism. What else, I’ve already caught myself wondering, didn’t we know about at this year’s Wimbledon? Was it really as “weird” as we thought?
Every rational fan knows that doping is not going to be eliminated from any sport. The best the authorities can do to keep our trust is to test as well as they can, and be as transparent as possible about the results. Nadal has called for more testing statistics to be made public; the more that’s hidden, he has said, the more suspicions are aroused. In The Guardian today, Brett echoes that opinion. "I don't agree with sheltering people from having their names released," he says. "If they made it open, then people would maybe feel there's a greater risk [and fewer cases would happen]." Brett also says that the men's tour needs to do more to educate its players about banned substances in over-the-counter products."


http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2013/07/silence-isnt-golden/48573/#.UfgXInDRfzI

After Troicki's 18 month ban for failing to give blood sample for testing and now Cilic testing positive, are we going to see any shift in the hush-hush policies that have been prevailing all these years & decades....

Good article NITB....you conspirationist!

I agree this Cillic thing has thrown a whole new light on things.

I still don't understand the purpose of the silent ban. Just disclose that he has failed a test pending further investigation. If he is clean and it is a genuine mistake I don't see the damage it does.

From what I have learnt, this has not been a silent ban.
I believe not revealing the punishment until the appeal has failed is what is meant to happen anyway.

Julia Santamaria wrote:From what I have learnt, this has not been a silent ban.
I believe not revealing the punishment until the appeal has failed is what is meant to happen anyway.

What is it then?

The protocol.
ITF will release a statement within the next week I believe, as they should do. They have a system where they only announce it until the appeal fails.