KIPROP’S EXCUSE IS NOT MY CUP OF TEA

ASBEL KIPROP, Kenya’s 2008 Olympic 1500m champion, claims he paid anti-doping officials out of charity. ‘I thought they wanted fuel for the car, or even tea,’ he said. Kiprop (right) tested positive anyway, for EPO, and now says this was the work of corrupt officials, too. Kiprop makes it sound as if he gave the testers money on site to help them out, when in fact he sent payment by bank transfer. Who waits for a bank transfer if he fancies a cup of tea? ‘The truth will come out and it will clear my name, my image and the sport as well,’ Kiprop insisted. No, it won’t. WELL, at least that settles one rather tedious debate. It does not matter about your history, your European Cups, your titles, your authenticity, your owners, where you were when you were crap, or any of the other brags, boasts or self-aggrandising taunts thrown out each Saturday. If your club are one of the Big Six who have hijacked a greater portion of the overseas TV rights income, who have broken the even split that was the making of the modern Premier League, who think the smaller clubs owe them a favour, who feel they are entitled to seize more from what is pretty much a moment in history, then in the eyes of the rest you are all the same. And it is no surprise that they want you to lose, every week.