The decision to bar Alejandro Valverde from next month's world championships in Germany because of his possible implication in a doping probe is totally unjustified, according to Spain coach Paco Antequera.

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• Valverde told to stay away

"This is an outrage," Antequera told a number of Spanish newspapers.

"Alejandro is not implicated in Operation Puerto, the Spanish Sports Council (CSD) and the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) both confirmed that last year.

"They reiterated that this year when the rumours resurfaced and everything else is just designed confuse the case and do damage to Valverde."

World cycling's governing body, the UCI, banned the Valverde, 27, after studying a 6,000-page dossier on the Operation Puerto investigation carried out by Spanish authorities.

The UCI said although their action did not imply any guilt on Valverde's part, the Caisse D'Epargne rider had been barred to "safeguard the atmosphere and reputation of the world championships".

They added that they had asked the RFEC to open disciplinary proceedings against the rider.

The RFEC said it had asked its general secretary and legal advisor to carry out a detailed study of the documents and would not make a statement until that had been done.

Valverde has admitted that he knew Eufemiano Fuentes, the doctor at the centre of the Operation Puerto scandal, when he rode for the Kelme team but has denied being involved in doping practices.

Raids carried out in Operation Puerto found a bag of blood corresponding to the coded name "Valv.Piti" but Valverde said the blood was not his and that although he has a dog called "Piti" it was born after the papers bearing that name were written.

A strong all-rounder, Valverde won the 2006 La Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege classics. He also finished second in last year's Vuelta.