Cheats Prosper

‘“FACE it, cheating is a way of life,” says former England rugby player Stuart Barnes with reference to the World Cup currently being played in Australia.

Would anyone pick Alpay?

But his comment could apply across the sporting spectrum as the front of the Telegraph’s sports section makes clear.

From America, we hear that middle-distance runner Regina “I hope I’m a role model to other women” Jackson has become the latest athlete to test positive for the new designer steroid, THG.

Back here, Manchester United have been forced to deny that they have tried to cover up evidence crucial to the investigation into Rio Ferdinand’s missed drugs test.

But the main story is that Turkish centre-half Alpay has made an unceremonious departure from English football after his contract was terminated by Aston Villa.

Alpay, who is expected to join German club Hertha Berlin, blamed the English media’s obsession with David Beckham for his plight.

The former Fenerbahce player earned the opprobrium of English fans after goading Beckham following his penalty miss in Istanbul last month.

But he told the Telegraph (with good reason): “This wouldn’t have happened if the confrontation had been with any other player than David Beckham.” (If only it had been Dennis Wise.)

We now turn to the Independent in search of sporting action and all we can see is England’s cricketers sitting round on the pitch in Bangladesh after a floodlight failure brought a premature end to the third day’s play in the inaugural test between the two countries.

And we note in passing that Manchester United’s Paul Scholes is single-handedly flying the flag for England in Europe, having picked up more yellow cards in Champions’ League matches than any other player.

Scholes’ 20 cautions is four more than his closest rival, Luis Figo.

And in the Times we learn that Andrew Miller, the Japanese fly-half, became the first player in this rugby World Cup to record a “full house” – a try, conversion, penalty and dropped goal.

If nothing else, such information should come in useful in a pub quiz in the near future.

But if you don’t remember it, don’t worry – you can always do what everyone else does and use your mobile to phone a friend.

Cheating – everyone’s doing it these days.’

Posted: 24th, October 2003 | In: Back pages Comment | TrackBack | Permalink