Miguel Angel Lopez was dismissed from Astana Kazakstan for "breaking the team's internal rules," team manager Alexandre Vinokurov revealed.

The team stated in a press release that it had discovered "new elements" indicating a "likely connection" between Lopez and Dr. Marcos Maynar.

Lopez has consistently denied any wrongdoing in the case, stating that his termination was "wrongful termination without just cause." He noted that he had never tested positive or been investigated "by the relevant authorities."

Maynar is currently under investigation by the Spanish police as part of an investigation into a widespread doping ring that was conducted on cyclists, swimmers, and soccer players at the University of Extremadura's Department of Sports Sciences.

After racing in Astana from 2015-2020, Lopez abandoned on the final day of the 2022 Vuelta a España and returned to the Kazakhstan team after his nine months in Movistar ended abruptly.

Lopez was initially suspended by Astana Kazakstan when news of the investigation broke in July, but returned shortly thereafter. At that time, the team stated that it was "not in a position to continue the suspension or to further deprive him of his contractual rights in the absence of a finding by the Spanish authorities or the UCI."

Lopez competed in the 2022 Vuelta a España and finished fourth overall, but the case flared up again at the end of November when two individuals were arrested and police revealed details of a doping ring. Lopez was not mentioned in the case, but the team fired him earlier this week. On Thursday, Vinokurov further elaborated on the reasons.

"We gave him a helping hand in 2021 and we did good with him," Vinokurov told Cycling News. It's a shame he went against the team's bylaws."

"I can't go into details or say much. There are rules in the team and if you don't follow them you will be ejected."

Lopez has repeatedly insisted that he has done nothing wrong and has threatened legal action against the team for wrongful termination. Vinokurov, however, is adamant that the team took the only action it could.

"There is nothing more to say. We gave them one chance before the Vuelta, but we can't screw around," Vinokurov added. 'It's obvious to everyone and we have to respect that.'

The team recently signed Lopez to another season, but Vinokurov said Astana Kazakstan will look for another direction after his ouster. He admitted to Cycling News that the team is eager to sign Mark Cavendish for 2023 and also hinted at promising prospect Ezgeny Fedorov. [Having an under-23 world champion [Ezgeny Fedorov] is good for us," he said. It's important for Kazakhstan, it gives us hope." It was important for Kazakhstan.