THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2015 SPORTS Police question Benzema Cairns pocketed more than Young Australian jockey in sex tape inquiry £250,000 for match-fixing dies in high-rise fall PARIS: French police questioned Real Madrid striker Karim LONDON: Former New Zealand cricket captain Chris Cairns pocketed more than SINGAPORE: An up-and-coming Australian jockey died after falling 12 floors to Benzema yesterday in connection with an inquiry into an alleged a quarter of a million dollars in return for fixing matches, a London court heard the ground from his Singapore apartment, police said yesterday. Tim Bell, 22, “was attempt to blackmail fellow-France soccer international Mathieu yesterday. The all-rounder moved to Dubai in 2008 with his partner to work for a found lying motionless at the foot of the building” late Tuesday, a police statement Valbuena, a police source said. Investigators are look- family in the rough diamond industry, a move he said was to build a career after said. It said an unconscious Bell was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, where he retiring from the sport. But a jury was told the real reason was much more sinis- ing into allegations of attempts to blackmail died from his injuries. “Police are investigating the unnatural death,” the ter - that the businessmen were bankrolling his lavish lifestyle in payment for statement said. Bell rode 135 winners in his first season as a senior Valbuena using sex video footage and they took throwing games while playing in India. several others, including former Liverpool striker jockey, winning the 2013-14 Brisbane jockey’s premiership. He They also paid for three other men - including two suspected of match-fixing was runner-up last season. Djibril Cisse, in for questioning in mid- - to try to involve them in the scams, it was alleged. Giving evidence for a second A three-month riding contract with the Singapore Turf Club October. Benzema’s name came up during day at his perjury trial at Southwark Crown Court, Cairns was unco-operative on was to end in December. The club said in a statement that phone taps in relation to the inquiry opened the witness stand, repeatedly evading questions from prosecutor Sasha Wass QC to such an extent that he was warned by the judge to directly answer them. The unconfirmed reports suggest Bell fell while try- last July, said the police source, speaking on ing to climb into his apartment, after lock- condition of anonymity as is standard practice court heard that Cairns, 45, was paid more than $250,000 by Vijay Dimon, a dia- mond firm run by father and son Vijay and Vishal Shah. ing himself out. Trainer Steven Burridge, in France for police officers without official Cairns had met Vishal during a charity cricket event. Cairns said the money who was instrumental in bringing Bell to communications roles. “He has nothing was to set himself up in Dubai, which had a “brutal” rental market, where he Singapore, called the man’s death a to reproach himself for,” Benzema’s worked for the business by meeting clients, speaking at dinners and acting as an tragedy. “Timmy had the whole future lawyer, Sylvain Cormier, was quoted as ambassador. But Wass said: “I am going to suggest it was a reward for your part ahead of him and not only could he ride, saying by French media. “He is even in fixing matches.” Wass said Cairns had told fellow cricketers Lou Vincent and but he was also such a great young man, happy to be able to put an end to this Brendon McCullum they could earn tens of thousands of dollars for fixing games, and was very driven to become a very terrible controversy.” — Reuters and that everyone was doing it. good jockey,” Burridge said. —AP Oman International Rally entry gets underway in Muscat today MUSCAT: The 2015 Oman International Local drivers Rally gets underway at the Oman Oman organisers ran a successful can- Automobile Association (OAA) in Muscat didate event in 2014 for the country’s today afternoon and precedes the first return to the MERC and Qatar’s Abdulaziz competitive special stage of three kilome- Al-Kuwari was the winner with Irish co-dri- tres, starting at 16.48hrs. ver Killian Duffy. His solitary outright The Sultanate of Oman’s return to the MERC victory came in Qatar and the Doha FIA Middle East Rally Championship for the driver is long overdue another win in his first time since 2007 has attracted an Ford Fiesta RRC. impressive 20-car field and three of the In addition to other drivers from leading drivers will be eyeing victory for Kuwait, Germany, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, very different reasons. the Sultanate of Oman has attracted 10 Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah has local drivers to compete in a variety of recently confirmed an 11th regional cham- Mitsubishis, Subarus and a Toyota. pionship crown in 13 glorious seasons of Topping a list that includes Zakariya Al- competing in the area. But he has one eye Ofi, Faisal Al-Rashdi, Humaid Al-Waili, on one of the longest standing records in Hamid Al-Qasmi, Haitham Al-Zadjali, world motor sport this weekend. Dubai’s Zakariya Said, Ahmed Qassim Al-Zadjali Mohammed Ben Sulayem amassed 60 out- and Ehab Al-Zadali are the Subaru crew of right MERC rally victories between 1984 Khalid Al-Manji and Saif Al-Aisri. and 2002 and a win over the 13-timed “I have competed here several times in gravel stages in Oman would see Al-Attiyah various local rallies and the international equal the Emirati’s remarkable feat. and can honestly say that these are some “Obviously the championship is won of the most beautiful, flowing and chal- and we have nearly finished an amazing lenging special stages anywhere in the year with the victory on the Dakar Rally, the world,” enthused Ulster co-driver Allan FIA World Cup, the WRC 2 title and the Harryman, who is co-driving for Abu Middle East Championship,” said Al-Attiyah, Dhabi Racing’s Saeed Bintowq in one of a who won four times in Oman between pair of two-wheel drive Citron DS3 R3s on 2003 and 2006. “But this is a different type the entry list. of milestone and it would be great to After Thursday afternoon’s super spe- match Ben Sulayem’s number of wins with cial stage, the competitive action switch- a win here in Oman.” es to the remote gravel trails through the Abu Dhabi Racing’s Sheikh Khalid Al- Hajar mountains and surrounding area. Qassimi won this event the last time it was There will be six special stages in the MELBOURNE: Australian jockey Michelle Payne poses with the winner’s trophy during a Melbourne Cup Carnival press conference in Melbourne a round of the series in 2007 and would like Rusayll, Misfah and Saal areas on Friday yesterday, after she became the first female jockey to win Australia’s 154-year-old Melbourne Cup when she rode outsider Princeof Penzance to to add to the seven regional events on (November 6) and a further half a dozen victory at Flemington Tuesday. — AFP which he has graced the top of the podi- timed tests on Saturday (November 7) um. Al-Qassimi wheels out a CitroÎn DS3 around Khoud, Murayrat and Misfah RRC with Al-Attiyah’s former navigator before the ceremonial finish at the OAA Chris Patterson reading the notes. from 4pm. ‘Never ever give up’, urges historic Payne MELBOURNE: Champion jockey Michelle spoke of racing as a “chauvinistic sport” while dren after their mother Mary died in a car Payne yesterday said she wanted to be a role trainer Darren Weir revealed that while Prince crash when Michelle was a baby, spoke of his model for women in sport, adding that being of Penzance’s major owners John Richards pride at his daughter’s win. “I thought a girl the first woman to triumph in Australia’s and Sandy McGregor had backed her, others would win the Melbourne Cup but I didn’t Melbourne Cup was proof that dreams can had not. Payne, who has ridden Prince of think it would be one of mine,” he told come true. Penzance in all but one of the six-year-old Melbourne’s 3AW radio. Payne rode 100-1 long-shot Prince of gelding’s 24 races, admitted to fighting hard But he also said it was almost time for his Penzance to an historic win at Flemington on to be given the chance to saddle up for the daughter to retire, telling the Australian Tuesday and said she was ready for the atten- big race. Broadcasting Corporation: “She’s 30 years old, tion that came with winning the Aus$6.2 mil- she’s been doing it for 15 years, I think it’s time lion ($4.4 million) race. Proud of daughter’s win for her to give it away.” Retirement did not “I really want to be a great ambassador, not “It is fair to say I drove Darren mad about appear to be his daughter’s mind, with Payne just for our industry, but for sports people, for this horse because I obviously knew that due to race at the Aus$100,000 Kyneton Cup women, for anybody who has a dream... you some of the owners wanted to take me off,” near Melbourne later Wednesday. “I love never give up,” the 30-year-old told reporters Payne told The Australian newspaper. working and I love my job. It’s the best job in in Melbourne.