The Antigua & Barbuda sprinter – a training partner of Jamaican sprint marvel Usain Bolt – started legal proceedings against Aftonbladet last Wednesday, when his attorneys filed a defamation case with the Swedish Press Council.
“I can confirm that we have started a legal complaint against the Swedish newspaper,” Bailey’s manager Cubie Seegobin told the Sunday Observer newspaper here.
“This is the first step in what we foresee as a detailed litigation against the newspaper that erroneously issued the two articles saying that [Daniel] had tested positive in the 100-metre final at the World Championships in Berlin.”
Bailey clocked an impressive 9.93 seconds to finish fourth in the 100 final, and Aftonbladet published a story indicating that he had tested positive for a banned substance.
The International Association of Athletics Federations, the sport’s World governing body, subsequently issued a statement that disclosed none of the eight finalists tested positive for any banned substance.
“Financial damages is last on our list,” said Guyana-born Seegobin. “First, would preferrably be the source of what we think is a mischievous rumour that was given, the second is to repair the image damage that has been done to [Daniel]. I mean, it was more psychological than anything else done to him.
“It prevented him from further competing for the rest of the year (because), he was so distraught over this whole situation.”
Seegobin did not rule out other lawsuits on behalf of Bailey and other clients of Cubie Management.
