Team Sky have been accused of deceiving the organisers of the Giro d’Italia into handing over a reported €1.4m in appearance fees by not disclosing that their star rider Chris Froome had already failed a drug test.

According to the Giro race director, Mauro Vegni, Dave Brailsford’s team entered into negotiations over Froome’s appearance in the Giro knowing the rider had returned an adverse finding from a urine test on his way to winning the Vuelta a España in September last year.

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Sky secured a hefty fee for the four‑times Tour de France winner and a support team to contest the Giro, which begins on Friday in Jerusalem, the first time the race has travelled outside Europe.

But on the eve of the event, Vegni made the remarkable claim that he felt let down by Brailsford after the Guardian and the French newspaper Le Monde made public news of Froome’s failed test in December. Vegni said this was the first time he became aware of the anti-doping case lingering over the Briton, which could lead to Froome being suspended from cycling for several months.

Asked if he felt deceived by Brailsford, who was knighted for services to cycling in 2013, Vegni replied: “Definitely, yes. The negotiations with Team Sky took place before the Giro presentation so I would have expected within a correct relationship to be informed. I didn’t really like this.”

In a bid to repair relations with the organisers, Brailsford flew to Italy to explain the situation. “I did express my thinking on the phone to Dave, he came immediately to Italy to meet with me,” Vegni said. “Dave himself was not pleased and he told me that in fact he did not receive the information until the end of September. But he also said to me that he was confident that this whole issue will find a solution.”

The launch of the 101st edition of the Giro took place last November, with Froome confirming his participation via a video message. The 32‑year‑old arrived in Israel this week confident of clinching a triple crown of grand tour wins: the Tour de France, Vuelta a España, and now Giro, all in a row. But there is every chance his Vuelta title could be taken away if he receives an anti-doping rule violation.

Froome is attempting to explain why a urine test submitted after the 18th stage of the Vuelta on 7 September indicated twice the permitted level of the asthma drug salbutamol. Cycling’s world governing body, the UCI, sent a letter to Team Sky, Froome and British Cycling to inform them of the failed test on 20 September. It is understood talks with Giro organisers began in the following weeks.

Vegni expressed his frustration that it had taken so long to reach a verdict. “I feel bad because of the extremely long times of the justice procedure. With the current means that are available to not have a decision made after eight months, something needs to change. We don’t even know when a decision will finally arrive.”

In a statement, Team Sky said: “The UCI process regarding Chris would normally have remained confidential. The team wanted to fully respect this but since it became public we have stayed in regular touch with the Giro organisers about it. We received and agreed the final race contract within the last three weeks – obviously some time after the issue had became public. In all our conversations with the organisers they have been supportive of Chris’s participation in the race. We love the Giro. We are honoured to be competing at it and we can’t wait for it to start.”

The extent to which Froome’s participation has dominated the buildup to this race was enforced in the pre‑race press conference. It took 33 minutes before any rider other than Froome or any of the other 21 teams competing here was discussed.

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“Thank you for someone who recognises that it is not just Chris Froome at the Giro,” an exasperated Vegni said. Froome’s principal rival in the next few weeks is likely to be Tom Dumoulin. The Dutch defending champion has had a tumultuous start to the season but Vegni intimated that a victory for Domoulin would be better than if Froome triumphed in Rome on 27 May.

“As organiser, I don’t really support any rider specifically, but let me add that Tom is a nice character,” Vegni said. “He’s young, he’s handsome, he is good for cycling as a whole. Also as an athlete he is a good performer. Let’s say that it would be really a good outcome for the Giro.”

The mounting tensions over Froome’s presence are not the only contentious issue to plague the Giro this year. The decision to hold the opening three stages of the race in Israel has also led to the organisers being accused of “sport-washing”, using the event to distract from the rising heat of the Palestine conflict.

The team presentation on Thursday evening took place on a giant pink stage in Jerusalem’s Safra Square, with smoke cannons and disco lights, introduced by the supermodel Bar Refaeli. But on Friday, less than 100km from here, the protests on the Gaza strip which have taken place every week since 30 March will continue unabated. The Israeli military has reportedly killed 35 Palestinians and injured more than 5,500 others during these protests, with Amnesty International suggesting some have been shot from behind and intentionally maimed.

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The tensions mean that an unprecedented police presence will be deployed along the route. More than 4,000 officers and two helicopters are securing the roads and the perimeter.

Superintendent Mickey Rosenfeld, the Israel Police national spokesman, said it was the biggest sporting event to be held in Israel’s history.

“We’re focusing on a mega-sport event and not political or security related issues,” he said. “But we are taking no chances. Our units will be at the right place at the right time. We are coordinating with border police, undercover units, special patrol units and our assessments will be made as events unfold. But no rider has personally expressed any misgivings about coming to Israel, as far as we know.”