TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2018 19 Thomas hailed as ‘Perfect Poster boy’ AFP | Paris eraint Thomas was la- belled the “Perfect Post- Ger Boy” yesterday after the British Team Sky rider de- KNOW WHAT posed teammate and four-time Riyad Mahrez reacts champion Chris Froome to win the Tour de France. The two-time Olympic gold Geraint Thomas has medallist finished the race in won three world Mahrez given all-clear Paris with a cushion of nearly championships and two minutes over Dutch rival was Olympic gold after ankle knock Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) to se- medalist twice, in cure his first yellow jersey, with 2008 and 2012 AFP | Miami picking up an ankle knock,” Froome in third. read the statement. The 32-year-old Welshman is gitimate criticisms of Team Sky. anchester City’s record “City’s new signing was the third Briton to win the race “Yet it is hard not to warm Msigning Riyad Mahrez withdrawn from the action after Froome and Bradley Wig- to Thomas, who has remained could play in Sunday’s Com- after being fouled by Bay - gins, securing Team Sky’s sixth droll and engaging even when munity Shield against Chelsea ern Munich’s Chris Richards victory in the race from the past the pressure has been greatest. after a scan showed he had suf- during the first half of Sat - seven editions. Give the current climate it per- fered no significant damage to urday’s 3-2 win over Bayern Amid a general feeling of haps also helps that he doesn’t his left ankle in a friendly with Munich. suspicion surrounding Sky and have asthma, has never had a Bayern Munich. “Subsequent pictures their sheer domination of the TUE, and when he broke his hip The 27-year-old Algerian emerged showing Mahrez Tour, Froome was spat at and at the 2013 Tour he insisted on international forward -- for wearing a protective boot on manhandled and Thomas booed Geraint Thomas nothing stronger than ibupro- whom City paid Leicester £60 his left foot upon his return to off the podium earlier in the fen.” million ($79 million) earlier Manchester. race. The Times said one of the this month -- had to leave the “However, a scan today Froome was the subject of an by British MPs following allega- de France victory puts them most popular men in the sport pitch in Miami on Saturday (Monday) has revealed no sig- investigation into why a sample tions Sky had breached ethical back in the director’s chair -- had won the toughest race on after being fouled by Bayern’s nificant damage, and he could from his 2017 Tour of Spain vic- guidelines by abusing the legal for now.” earth. Chris Richards. be available for selection for tory revealed twice the permit- use of therapeutic use exemp- “Somehow Sky’s renegade “Thomas’s Tour de France win However, City said in a state- this weekend’s Community ted amount of the asthma drug tions (TUEs) for their riders. pose and the hostility they has certainly bought his team a ment on Monday that a scan Shield against Chelsea.” salbutamol. “Numerous times Team arouse in France morphed into huge amount of much-needed had showed nothing alarming. Mahrez’s replacement Ber- Banned from racing by organ- Sky have lost control of their a romantic narrative about a goodwill,” it said. “Riyad Mahrez has been giv- nardo Silva went on to score isers -- a decision welcomed in own movie: the one where a much-loved rider fully coming “Plenty of people will still en the all-clear to return to a double as City beat the Ger- France -- Froome was allowed world-conquering outfit is built of age on the road six years after find it hard to believe in Team training later this week after man champions 3-2. to race after cycling’s governing from scratch and wins with no his gold for Team GB at the Lon- Sky, but doubting Thomas is body, the UCI, dropped its case ethical compromises,” said the don 2012 Olympics,” he added. more difficult. His progression against him. Telegraph newspaper’s chief The Guardian said it would be to the pinnacle of the sport has Team Sky boss Dave Brails- sportswriter Paul Hayward. narrow-minded of British fans been the painstaking work of a ford was previously questioned “Geraint Thomas’s first Tour to whitewash the long and le- decade.” Age cheating grounds Iraq under-16 football team AFP | Baghdad ball source told AFP, on condi- tion of anonymity. espite having shaved to He said the players had Dlook younger, Baghdad shaved as instructed by team airport officials knew there officials to look younger. was something fishy about “The technical and admin- Iraq’s under-16 football squad istrative staff of the under-16s headed Monday for a regional team have been dismissed and tournament in the Jordanian action will be taken against capital. those players who falsified Several of the 23 players for their age,” said the IFA, which the West Asia Football Fed- investigated after having been eration (WAFF) tournament alerted by airport officials. starting on Wednesday were It was not the first such case found to be overage, said the of cheating in Iraqi football. Iraq Football Association (IFA), According to the association, which immediately sacked the 18 players were suspended ear- squad officials. lier this year after also having Officials at the airport con- tried to pass off as younger fiscated nine passports after than their true age by tam- suspicions were raised over pering with their identity the dates of birth, an Iraqi foot- papers. Riders of Team Sky celebrate Wiggins tips Thomas for more Tour glory England should host 2022 AFP | Paris in the moment and don’t realise will only drive him on to do it World Cup: ex-FA chairman what they’ve achieved,” he said again.” The Sun | London strong support in their own radley Wiggins has tipped on Eurosport. Wiggins believes the hostile countries, Qatar paid a PR firm BTour de France winner Ge- “But with Geraint, he’s reception for the dominant ngland should be consid- and ex-CIA agents to spread raint Thomas to retain his ti- This success won’t watched the Tour since he was Team Sky during the race could Eered as a host for the 2022 fake propaganda about rival tle after the Welshman ended change him at all a kid and to him he knows what have given them extra moti - World Cup if Qatar loses the bids not being backed in their teammate Chris Froome’s reign and I wouldn’t put it is. I don’t think he ever im- vation. right to host the tournament, own territories, according to a as champion. it past him to win agined this would happen.” “I think for Sky it spurred according to former FA chair- whistleblower. Two-time Olympic gold med- again next year. This Wiggins, also a former Team them on, there was a definite man Lord Triesman. The alleged use of the tac- allist Thomas finished nearly Sky rider, feels Thomas is enter- unity with them,” he added. With the Qatari bid subject tics, which would breach Fifa two minutes ahead of nearest could be the start ing his prime and is in a strong “This isn’t the first time they’ve to allegations it broke rules bidding rules, is the latest in rival Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) for him now. He’s position to retain the yellow had this, they’ve had it for a few governing the targeting of op- a string of claims about the on Sunday to secure his first won the Tour and it jersey in 2019. years now. ponents in the selection pro- Qatar bid, which won the yellow jersey, with Froome in will only drive him “He’s at that ripe age now, “Sky work the hardest as a cess, the Labour peer has put hosting rights in December third. on to do it again 32. He’s matured as a person team. The Tour de France is the England forward to host a first 2010. The 32-year-old became the BRADLEY WIGGINS and an athlete and his laid- highlight of their season. World Cup since 1966. Mohamed bin Hammam, the third Briton to win the Tour af- back approach will continue “It’s not fair for them to be A Sunday Times investiga- Qatari former president of the ter Wiggins, who triumphed in to carry him through,” said accused of being too dominant. tion claimed the Qatar bid to Asian Football Confederation 2012, and Team Sky teammate Wiggins. Yes, they have big budgets and host the 2022 tournament al- (AFC), was found to have paid Froome, who had won four of “This success won’t change some teams can’t compete with legedly employed dirty tricks members of other football as- the previous five races. he “may now be Wales’s biggest him at all and I wouldn’t put it that, but you can’t blame that to scupper their rivals, notably sociationsto back his country’s Wiggins expects Thomas’s sports star”. past him to win again next year. on them. You can’t blame Sky the US and Australia. bid in 2014, a revelation that profile to increase significantly “A lot of people win things This could be the start for him coming in and putting money Targeting a key Fifa criteria came two years after he was on the back of his victory, saying like this and they get caught up now.