Lawyers acting for Michele Ferrari, the doctor serving a life ban from involvement with sport, are trying to have the film The Program, which details how Lance Armstrong cheated his way to seven Tour de France victories, banned in Italy.

The Stephen Frears-directed film, which stars Ben Foster as Armstrong, is due to open in Italy today, but criminal law firm Studio Bolognesi, is trying to have it blocked, according to Italian news agency ANSA.

The firm, which has offices in Milan, Bologna, Ferrara and Rome, is also reportedly seeking damages on behalf of Ferrari, who is played in the movie by the French actor, Guillaume Canet

– Video: New trailer released for Lance Armstrong film, The Program

The reason Ferrari wants the film pulled is because he claims he never injected Armstrong with EPO – something that is included in one scene from The Program.

The 62-year-old was banned from working with professional cyclists in Italy in 2002, and in 2012 was given a worldwide lifetime ban as a result of the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s investigation into doping at the former US Postal Service team by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).