The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority has criticised the AFL's anti-doping tribunal over the timing – and content – of its verdict on Stephen Dank.

ASADA has only four full days to consider the material on Dank, who designed and oversaw the controversial injection program at Essendon in 2012-13, before the appeal window on the not-guilty verdict handed to 34 current and former Essendon players closes.

ASADA CEO Ben McDevitt Credit:Getty Images

The national sports anti-doping agency only became aware of the finding on Dank on Friday afternoon and, as reported by Fairfax Media this week, was already frustrated not to have received information it considered integral to its decision on whether to appeal considerably earlier. This was counter to an assurance ASADA CEO Ben McDevitt had received when the ruling on Dank was not delivered simultaneously with the anti-doping tribunal's favourable verdict on the players.

Early on Friday Dank appeared to have no formal notification that a judgment on his case was imminent.