BERLIN, July 21: Former Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich, excluded from this year's race because of links to blood-doping, has been sacked by his T-Mobile team, SID news agency reported on Friday.

Germany's Ullrich, the 1997 Tour de France winner who would have been one of the favourites for the 2006 race, had been suspended by T-Mobile the day before the July 1 start.

The 2000 Olympic road race champion had been suspected of using the services of doctor Eufemiano Fuentes whom Spanish police believe is at the heart of a blood-doping network.

Ullrich's agent Wolfgang Strohband said his client would take legal action.

Spain's Oscar Sevilla, who had also been provisionally suspended on June 30, was also sacked by T-Mobile.

T-Mobile announced the news during the 18th stage of the Tour de France between Morzine and Macon although the sacking had been made in writing on Thursday.

“We made this decision because we believe, looking at the information provided by investigators, that Jan Ullrich is implicated in the Spanish doping affair,” T-Mobile spokesman Christian Frommert said.

“However Ullrich has not returned a positive doping test.” Frommert said T-Mobile would make no further comment until after the Tour ended on Paris's Champs-Elysees on Sunday and discussions between the parties next week.

The German rider published a statement on his internet site saying that the way he had been axed was “unacceptable.”

“I am very disappointed that this decision was not communicated to me personally but that it was faxed to my lawyers,” Ullrich added.

The 32-year-old rider had been under contract with T-Mobile until the end of the year.—AFP