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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2016 SPORTS Qatari runner Balla arrested in Spanish doping probe BARCELONA: Spanish police said they took Somali track coach Jama Aden, was the culmination of a long-running and 2013 world indoor 1500m champion The 25-year-old world record holder is had arrested a Qatari athlete yesterday as whose Ethiopian protege Genzebe investigation including Interpol, the Ayanleh Souleiman of Djibouti. But Aden the big favourite to strike gold in the part of an ongoing investigation into drug Dibaba is the current world 1500m cham- Spanish National Anti-Doping Agency has also courted controversy, with women’s 1500m at the August 5-21 Rio trafficking that has already seen one of pion, and a physiotherapist into custody (AEPSAD) and Spanish police. Driouch handed a two-year ban for Games. A spokesman for the Ethiopian the world’s top coaches taken into cus- on Monday, both charged with having Aden has a proven track record of nur- inconsistencies in his biological passport athletics federation told AFP on Tuesday tody. Media reported that the man arrest- administered athletes with banned sub- turing some of the best middle-distance and French runner Laila Traby also being that it was in the dark about Dibaba. ed was Sudanese-born Qatari Musaeb stances. Aden was picked up in a dawn runners. Aside from Dibaba, he has banned after testing positive for blood- “We have no information about Abdulrahman Balla, the two-time defend- raid at a hotel in the Catalonian town of coached two-time world indoor 800m boosting EPO. Driouch at first claimed Genzebe Dibaba at this time,” the ing Asian 800m champion who finished Sabadell occupied by a group of athletes champion Abubaker Kaki Khamis and Aden had doped him, but later retracted spokesman said. “She will of course be sixth at last year’s world championships in coached by the ex-Olympian. Six doctors 2008 Beijing Olympics 800m silver medal- his allegations. part of the Olympic team to Rio if her Beijing and fifth at the world indoors in from world athletics’ governing body, the list Ismael Ahmed Ismael, both from Dibaba, sister of running legend results meet the minimum criteria.” There Portland earlier this season. IAAF, and officials from the Spanish Anti- Sudan, 2012 London Olympics 1500m Tirunesh, has seen her pre-Rio Olympic was also no clarity on her injury. “A Qatari athlete was arrested,” Doping Agency were also present to carry champion Taoufik Makhloufi of Algeria, plans hampered by a toe injury that has “This is unclear. She has not reported Catalonian police said, without naming out doping controls on some athletes. 2012 world junior 1500m champion recently ruled her out of meetings in to us the reason why she didn’t take part him. The arrest is the third after police The IAAF explained that Aden’s arrest Hamza Driouch, a Moroccan-born Qatari, Eugene, Oslo and Stockholm. in the last competitions,” he said. —AFP Diego Maradona Zinedine Zidane Luis Suarez Maradona not alone in World Cup controversy LONDON: Five notorious World Cup incidents two of which he still feels pain from today. innocence that he had used an American ver- but to red-card him and he trudged off past an and several of them, along with Anelka, were on the 30th anniversary of Diego Maradona’s France had to use their second and last substi- sion of the energy drink ‘Rip Fuel’, which unlike impassive French coach Raymond Domenech punished afterwards, the striker seeing his ‘hand of God’ goal against England in the 1986 tute and it showed when they ran out of its Argentine counterpart had ephedrine as an and promptly retired. Although Italy won on international career pretty much ended with World Cup quarter-final: steam in extra-time and let a 3-1 lead slip and ingredient, he was sent home and never penalties Zidane was forgiven by the French an 18-game ban. lost on penalties. “Entrenched in our memo- played for his country again. and a five-metre-high (16-foot) sculpture out- 1982 - BATTISTON TAKES BATTERING ries is this charge by Schumacher who flat- side the Pompidou Centre in Paris immortalis- 2014 - CHEWY LUIS German steel took on French flair in an epic tened the little Frenchman,” Battiston told AFP 2006 - ‘ZIZOU’ SEES RED es the moment of madness. Luis Suarez and World Cup finals are a semi-final in Spain. German goalkeeper Harald years later. Schumacher’s sole response at the As farewells from the highest level go, potent mix if you like controversy. The toothy ‘Toni’ Schumacher knocked out Patrick time on learning of the injuries was: “I will pay French football icon Zinedine Zidane’s would 2010 - THE INCREDIBLE SULK Uruguayan marksman had denied Ghana a Battiston after wildly shoulder-charging the for the crowns.” be pretty hard to match, although for all the Unhappy at the largely unloved Raymond likely place in the 2010 semi-finals in South substitute, who had only been on the pitch for wrong reasons. Having put France ahead in Domenech’s decision to play him on his own Africa with a handball on the line in extra- seven minutes. To widespread disbelief, refer- 1994 - MARADONA’S DECLINE AND FALL the final against Italy only for Marco Materazzi up front for the opener against Mexico, time, rubbing salt into the wound by calling it ee Charles Corver did not even book the goal- Maradona’s fourth and final World Cup saw to level, the two engaged in a verbal duel Nicolas Anelka unleashed an expletive-filled the “save of the tournament”. keeper-he claimed he didn’t see the incident him sent home from the United States in dis- throughout the game. Materazzi, who had a rant. “I was only insulting someone who the He outdid that in 2014 as not for the first because he was watching the ball. grace after failing a doping test. Still a potent lengthy disciplinary record, poked and prod- rest of France had already insulted. I would do time he bit an opponent, this time the shoul- Schumacher gave the prostate Frenchman a force, it looked as if he might enjoy a glorious ded Zidane all evening until the latter said to it again,” an unrepentant Anelka said. der of battle-hardened Italian defender cursory glance and then chewed gum and swansong in the international limelight. him he could have his shirt after the match if Domenech said he was more shocked by Giorgio Chiellini. He at first denied it, then taunted the furious French fans while the Having scored a goal in the win over Greece he liked it so much. Materazzi replied with a Anelka’s lack of respect than the words but he apologised but it was not enough to prevent French medical team tried to resuscitate him. and then played in the 2-1 win over Nigeria, he crude remark about Zidane’s sister and that was sent home from South Africa once the the striker from serving a nine-game interna- He was stretchered off with three broken ribs, subsequently failed a dope test for the stimu- was the last straw as the Frenchman head- affair made it into the papers. The French tional suspension and a four-month ban from broken teeth and cracked vertebra, the latter lant ephedrine. Despite his protestations of butted the Italian. The referee had no option squad infamously went on strike in sympathy all football. — AFP LeBron makes case for all-time best with historic NBA Finals Not all champions can be OAKLAND: LeBron James ensured his that won a record 73 regular-season place among the NBA’s all-time legends games and boasted the NBA’s top scor- role models, says Thorpe by leading the Cleveland Cavaliers in er and two-time most valuable player in the greatest comeback in NBA Finals Stephen Curry. James was an unprece- history and has made a solid case for dented leader in every major finals sta- MUMBAI: Although Olympic champions can being the greatest player ever. tistical area, averaging 29.7 points, 11.3 make great role models, sports officials can’t The 31-year-old forward scored 27 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.6 steals and 2.3 expect all athletes to be angels in their pursuit points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked shots a game. of results, according to Australian swimming passed out 11 assists to power great Ian Thorpe. Cleveland’s 93-89 victory over defend- LEBRON GREETED BY 20,000 The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) ing champion Golden State in game James touched off jubilation that has taken a hard line on team culture at the seven of the NBA Finals. continued on Monday when he and the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, four years after their With size, strength and speed that team landed at the Cleveland airport, London Games delegation was embarrassed enable him to muscle his way to the displaying the championship trophy to by a number of unsavoury incidents involving hoop and finesse as a passer to make more than 20,000 wellwishers. The par- teammates a threat from anywhere on ty is set to continue Wednesday with a misbehaving athletes. Several athletes have the court, James has made himself the victory parade for the ages. been put on watch-list ahead of the Games, dominant player of his era, reaching the Crying tears of joy in the moments while the country’s top tennis player Nick NBA Finals six years in a row. after the title was decided revived Kyrgios withdrew himself from consideration Michael Jordan pushed the Chicago memories of Jordan’s tearful finish of after a row with the AOC over his behaviour in Bulls to six NBA titles in the 1990s with the 1996 final.