The lawyer for Tiger Woods' knee doctor has said that the whole matter had "absolutely nothing to do with Woods".

Tony Galea's case was heard in a Toronto court on charges including selling an unapproved drug

Galea treated Woods as he recovered from knee surgery last year, but his attorney Brian Greenspan stated on the steps of the courthouse: "Dr Galea has not been and is not involved in providing performance-enhacing drugs to competitive athletes.

"Any suggestion of a linkage to Tiger Woods is non-existent."

Galea has been charged by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with four violations - selling the unapproved drug Actovegin, conspiracy to import an unapproved drug, conspiracy to export a drug and smuggling goods into Canada.

The maximum sentence is five years in prison.

Galea, who was not present for the brief hearing, treated Woods with the controversial but legal "blood-spinning" procedure.

The charges against him were announced and the prosecutor handed over a thick binder containing documents that outline the evidence to date.

Greenspan will return to the court on January 28 and the prosecution will hand over whatever additional evidence has been gathered.

The case will be made public only if it goes to trial.

Greenspan also told reporters: "If you are here to ask about Tiger Woods that's not the story today - and it's not really the story of Dr Galea.

"Tiger Woods happened to be a patient who he assisted in his rehabilitation programme after his surgery and apparently, according to all reports, was very successful in assisting Tiger Woods to return to golf earlier than was anticipated.

"His primary practice, particularly when it comes to athletes, is in addressing their injuries. He is not engaged or involved with performance-enhancement. He deals with injuries."

Greenspan said the doctor's work also included helping people over the age of 40 enhance their lifestyle with innovative medicine techniques.

Meanwhile, Woods has lost another sponsor after Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer announced it would no longer use the golfer's image.

In an interview with Swiss newspaper Le Matin, due to be published in full tomorrow, Tag Heuer chief executive Jean-Christophe Babin said: "We recognise Tiger Woods as a great athlete, but we must take into account the sensitivity of some consumers in relation to recent events."

The company said it would continue to support Woods' charities.