ISYS100 Controversy in sport

Sir Alex Ferguson expected to give an important announcement regarding his future as Manchester United boss

After a 26-and-a-half-year reign as the manager for Manchester United, there is now great speculation that Sir Alex Ferguson could retire from the club by the end of the week. The UK telegraph which first broke the story exclaimed, “Sources close to the players confirmed that the squad’s golf day had been overshadowed by suggestions that the Scot would be making an announcement”.

After taking the club to 13 Premier League titles, 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups and 2 Champions League Titles and building an up a value estimate of $3.17 billion by Forbes, Ferguson’s positive impact on the club is definite. With such a prominence in the sport as a whole it is expected that much controversy will come from the alleged announcement until it does indeed occur or Manchester United releases an official statement saying otherwise.

It is of no surprise to some that an announcement of this type was soon to come given Ferguson’s age and recent health issues. At the age of 71 he certainly isn’t getting any younger and would be finding it more difficult to be as involved as he has been in the past. In 2004 he had to have a pacemaker inserted due to a heart irregularity and is set to have hip surgery after the club returns from its pre-season tour this year. It is noted by many that Ferguson has always said that his health would dictate how long he remained at the top of Man United and with another operation soon to come and a recent replenishment of the Premier League Crown over arch rivals Manchester City, the timing would make sense.

This expectation has also been verified by the actions of bookmakers in the UK, surrounding odds of football manager and executive movements. Particular to these changes is the slashing of odds regarding movements of Everton manager David Moyes to Manchester United. The chance of this has brought forward another possible action by Ferguson, in staying with the club and instead either having more assistance in his managing department or stepping down into a less important role. This standpoint has been taken by The Mirror newspaper in the UK.  

A triumphant Ferguson.

Greg Inglis, mighty unlucky or just one too many?

Over the years we have all seen the absolute marvel of Greg Inglis. His speed, strength, agility and overall rugby league talent is a view to behold for every fan. However, since his positional switch from centre to fullback, and the greater responsibility he has been given to roam the field, the media and fans alike have started to question his particular running style.

His running style has begun to be questioned due to the fact that he has been involved in a high number of 'spear tackles' whereby his legs are lifted off the ground which results in his neck and legs being placed in a dangerous position. Moreover, due to the high number of spear tackles he has been involved in, the media and fans have started to closely monitor his running style and have emphasised any possibility in which he places himself in the dangerous position by leaning forward into tackles.

Greg Inglis knows he is a target on the field, but having been the victim of four ugly spear tackles this season, questions need to be asked on the coincidence of them all. The South Sydney star however has admitted to being stunned by suggestions he needs to change his running style and believes that neither of the tackles have been premeditated.

Sydney Roosters great Brad Fittler said he didn't feel Inglis was in the wrong, but believed a change would be in Inglis' best interests.

"The key is Greg's the constant factor in a lot of the tackles," Fittler said.

"I just don't want to see him get hurt. I don't want to see anyone get hurt like that. He's not doing anything wrong, but it's up to Greg."

Greg concluded by responding that "if I've got to change my running style ... I don't know, I'm a bit stunned by that."

What is the future of Test cricket, is it a dying format?

Test cricket existed long before the ODI format came into play in the 1970s and also existed way before the Twenty20 format that came in to play, over 100 year after test cricket. However now it is believed to be now under threat of dying out, as the shorter formats of the game, especially T20 cricket are drawing away crowd from Test cricket.

It is a topic that has divided fans and players for a while now, the fact that some enjoy the shorter forms due to the intensity and some that enjoy the test matches that last 5 days, that is traditional. However over the past few years the introduction of domestic T20 competitions such as the IPL, BBL and many more like this around the world has resulted in the increase the popularity of the shorter format.

However the prospect of test cricket doesn’t look to great as Harsha Bhogle stated "England look good at the moment, and Australia might revive. South Africa look strong but West Indies are still in disarray. Pakistan are good on some surfaces, as are Sri Lanka. New Zealand can't find a batsman to average over 40" last year in an article on Cricinfo.

Although the prospect of test cricket doesn’t concern a few players such as West Indian Chris Gayle who stated when asked whether he would be sad if test cricket died out ? replying "I wouldn't be so sad. Some other players would be. Maybe Andrew Strauss would be sad. Maybe he will be sad if Test cricket die and Twenty20 continue. Because there is no way he can make the change."

The extinction of test cricket is quite evident, as series between countries are becoming shorter and shorter, to accommodate for ODI and T20 cricket. This was quite evident last time Australia played in South Africa when they only played 2 games for a drawn series, when it should have been 4 matches, as they are 2 of the top teams in the world.

Hopefully test cricket does not become extinct, as many fans including me, look forward to Test matches, as do cricketers, for example young Australians dream to one day receiving the baggy green and represent Australia.

It is important that test cricket continues on into the future, it is the format of the greats, such as Sir Donald Bradman, a format that tests a players true skill and patience. 

Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game.

John Tomic has beaten up the training partner of his rising tennis star son?

Australia’s best young Tennis player, Bernard Tomic, is the headlines again but this time it isn’t his fault. His father, John Tomic, was allegedly jailed for attacking Thomas Drouet, Bernard’s regular practice partner.

Supposedly an argument started between John and Drouet after an incident at the swish Monte Carlo Country Club and continued from there, onto the Flight to Madrid and then at the hotel where the pair was staying. A clash outside the hotel, witnessed by leading players such as Janko Tipsarevic, apparently ended with Drouet knocked out and sustaining a broken nose, fractured vertebrae and stitches. 

John Tomic angry at a decision against his son.

John Tomic’s history wasn’t the greatest as it stood before this, with incidents of road rage against other players and coaches, pulling Tomic from games mid-match and a fiery clash with 2010 Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley. There is now a mass of speculation that John Tomic will be removed from tennis circles, particularly due to his violent behaviour. 

Tennis Australia describes the reports as “very concerning” with them “working closely with ATP officials who are investigating the incident”. After a loss in his first match in Madrid it is hoped by many that Bernard can put these issues behind him and focus on playing good tennis for himself. 

Bombers chairman David Evans rejects accusations that players are gaining any advantage this season

Research carried out in the last few years has shown that if you were to take the controversial supplements (peptides) you are likely to suffer from soft tissue injures while playing. Bombers had the highest rate of soft tissue injures in the league last year.

Bombers chairman David Evans says his club will prove it is not gaining any advantage this season from the controversial supplement program carried out last year.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou spoke about rival clubs saying bombers having an unfair advantage because of they unbeaten start to they season. 

Evans repeated on Friday that he would not publicly detail the practices that took place at the club last season while the AFL and Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) investigation into whether they breached anti-doping rules continues.

"I would like to thank Andrew Demetriou for his support of the club yesterday when he warned other clubs against what he called scurrilous innuendo that our players have some kind of advantage," Evans said at a Bombers' pre-match function.

"I can also promise you this: whatever happened last year with what I conceded were irregular practices, there is no advantage to our players and this will be proven."

Evans said it was tough having the club being the subject of constant speculation without being able to publicly fight back, given the Bombers don't want to compromise the investigation.

"I would love nothing more than to be correcting some of the more wild accusations and speculation that's occurred over the time," he said.

"But I ask you again for your patience while we let the AFL and ASADA investigation take its course."

He said the Bombers could at least take heart that their players were showing maturity and character in adversity.

"These young men are utter professionals in what they are doing week in and week out," he said.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/demetriou-slams-rumours/video-e6frf33l-1226634730466?subcat=1225916318050

  

Australian Men's Swimmer's Olympic Scandal

Six of the Australian men's Olympic team, including James Magnussen, Matthew Targett, James Roberts, Cameron McEvoy, Eamon Sullivan and Tomaso D'Orsonga were involved in a scandal that included taking a banned AOC substance and inappropriate behaviour. Four of whom were part of the Australian men's 4x100 metres freestyle relay team, that were expected to win gold, but ended up coming fourth.

the six swimmers at the press conference earlier this year

Emily Seebohm, the one who blew the whistle on the mischief behaviour, said that many female swimmer were victims. 

Fellow swimmer, Jade Neilsen, a first time Olympic swimmer, who was part of the silver winning women's 4x100 medley relay in London. She revealed information about the being disturbed by inappropriate behaviour by these men during their stay at London. She revealed that she and her roommate were awoken by late night prank calls, door knocking and disruptive behaviour.

The AOC is now considering imposing sanctions, including the withdrawal of funds for the relay team in the 2016 Olympics.

Swimming Australian (SA) who set up a 'integrity panel' to investigate further reported inappropriate behaviour and misuse of a prescription drug Stilnox during a pre-Games camp in Manchester.

It is believed that the 6 swimmer came back from watching Batman at the movies, when 5 out of the 6 took a Stilnox tablet, which was banned by the AOC prior to the games, after Grant Hackett revealed problem he has after taking the sleeping pill.

All swimmer apologised earlier this year in a press conference. The video below shows part of the press conference.

Wade Graham, what were you thinking?

Wade Graham was set to be the first Cronulla Shark player to be interviewed by ASADA into their investigation of illegal drug use within sport...what a disaster that turned out to be. In a week where the National Rugby League did not need further embarrassment and scrutiny across the media and wider community Wade Graham decides to wear a reversed baseball-cap, t-shirt, cargo pants and thongs to a hearing which has had widespread media coverage across the nation. This was a great opportunity for the Sharks and the NRL Competition to portray to the wider community its professionalism and its effort into dismissing any links the sport might have with any illegal drug use. Instead however, the NRL and the Cronulla Sharks have further damaged the clubs reputation and the competitions.

The Sharks aren't a club like the South Sydney Rabbitohs or the Brisbane Broncos whom have a substantial membership base to stream revenue through, they are a club whom struggle to stay afloat and retain major sponsors. Consequently, this negativity towards the club through rumours of drug use, player conduct and recently poor performances will know doubt cause a major strain amongst the club and its sponsors.

This is a great opportunity for the National Rugby League, and Dave Smith specifically as the Chief Executive Officer to stamp his authority and set a precedent with Graham. Wade definitely deserves to be fined a substantial amount for bringing the game into disrepute and should be stood down from playing for a set period of time. This will ensure that player think about their conduct in future instead of taking their careers and lifestyles for granted.

Waterhouse V. Singleton horse racing issue, so how the hell is Andrew Johns involved?

When a disagreement between the world renowned horse trainer Gai Waterhouse and multi millionaire horse owner John Singleton was first brought forward in the media nobody really new what was going on and then the Rugby League champion Andrew Johns and Gai’s bookmaker son Tom were brought into the feud! After a week of new stories and evidence coming out around this high profile, high stakes relationship breakdown, the whole picture of the situation has almost been clarified.

To explain briefly, John’s had been told by Tom Waterhouse at the ANZAC Day NRL game that “he didn’t like” Singleton’s horse ‘More Joyous’, and when John’s relayed this information to one of his close friends it was eventually passed on to Singleton, who was outraged to here this. Singleton severed all ties with the Waterhouse family and himself, creating a dispute that surrounded both that they were colluding to give themselves an unfair advantage in terms of betting and that he was never given any information of More Joyous’ circumstance. It was discovered later that More Joyous was in fact on antibiotics prior to the race, without Singleton’s knowledge.

With Gai immediately sacked as Singleton’s horse trainer, there was a clear display of the seriousness that the situation presented to the horse racing and sports betting community. It is hoped by people in these circles that the situation can be totally sorted out and the true facts of it presented to the public, so as to not hurt the sport any further. This is particularly important for many at this point in time as online betting and actually the particular involvement of Tom Waterhouse as the odds presenter for the NRL are facing a lot of scrutiny and backlash later. Furthermore horse racing is under fire from another angle also, after many horse crashes at a specialist derby over the weekend have stemmed public and animal rights group concerns.

Hopefully full communication of the Stewards Enquiry looking into this whole Waterhouse V Singleton saga can alleviate concerns surrounding such a high stakes controversy in our sport. 

Not such a good business relationship after all...

Why weren’t there any 'send offs' or 'sin bins'

Round 7 was set for a cracker between two of the top teams in the NRL, between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Manly Sea Eagles. However ened in controversy involving the refs not sending off or sin-binning Sea Eagles prop Richie Fa'aoso or Jason King, who was involved in three situations where he spear tacked South Sydney's star fullback Greg Inglis head first into the turf.

This was similar to the tackle that Bulldogs centre Krisnan Inu made on Greg Inglis, with which he copped a 8 week ban, but still questions were raised, to why he wasn’t sent off. The video shows, Krisnan Inu spear tackling Greg Inglis.

After the NRL controversially banned the shoulder charge from the game for the protection the player head, South Sydney coach Michael Maguire, as was concerned with the welfare of his player.

Three comments that he made particularly stood out:

“At the end of the day what does it take for someone to be sent off?” he asked.

“Greg was dropped on his head three times in the game and it has happened on various occasions in other games.

“I think it is an area where you have to protect your players. It’s just madness it has got to this point. I’m concerned about all my players if this sort of thing is going on."

Fa'aoso spear tackes Greg Inglis

As a result of this, the NRL referee boss has said "It's a big decision to sin-bin someone and it's a big decision to dismiss them from the field." But he added that they will review the sin bin rule and the prospect of using the sin-bin for repeated incidents of foul play, a move which could prevent a repeat of the attack South Sydney star Greg Inglis endured on Friday night.

It is likely that Richie Fa'aoso will now receive a hefty suspension as he has carry over points from an earlier incident, which Jason King is also likely to come under scrutiny by the NRL match review panel.

Hopefully in the future, refs are able to use sin-bins in particular more effectively to penalise players who put other players welfare at risk. 

Drugs in sports

New evidence has surfaced about a convicted drug trafficker claiming he had helped NRL and AFL players dope and avoid positive blood tests.

Controversial sports biochemist Shane Charter, who worked for AFL club Essendon as a strength and nutrition adviser, made the new claims in an interview on Four Corners in which he was asked:

Just to be clear, you've assisted NRL players and AFL players with their use of performance-enhancing drugs? He replied: I've kept them in a safe and non-toxic range so that they didn't do long-term damage to themselves.

Charter made headlines on Saturday when he revealed he had even been asked by underworld figures to spike players' supplements with illegal drugs so they could be blackmailed into joining a match-fixing ring. He denied ever having done so.

This is a massive step forward in finding out the drug cheats in sport. Its looking more and more suspicious every day. Its not looking very good for Australian sport right now. As a massive Bombers fan I'm really hoping they have done nothing wrong, fingers crossed. 

Bombers have won 5 out 5 this season and they are looking in the best form they have been in for quite some time.

COME ON THE BOMBERS!!!!!!