Comparing people to neo-Nazis, that’s not funny and that’s going too far.” Jalabert has promised to apologise, but has still not done so, Verbruggen added. Frenchman Jalabert recently described the UCI as a “dictatorship” and its commissioners as “half Dracula and half neo-Nazi”. The UCI president, Hein Verbruggen, told L’Equipe that Jalabert has until Sunday to apologise or be excluded from the World Championships, which begin next Tuesday in Maastricht in the Netherlands.
“If Laurent Jalabert doesn’t send us a letter of apology before 4 October … he will be excluded from the World Champi- onships,” Verbruggen said.”We can not let this pass, Jalabert wanted to put his comments on the table wittily, but I find his sense of humour intolerable. The decision was announced by the club’s chief executive, Steve Coverdale, yesterday.
The county endured a disastrous summer in which they finished 15th in the Championship, 13th in the AXA League and made early exits from both the Benson and Hedges Cup and NatWest Trophy.A decision on his successor will be made over the next few weeks and Northamptonshire may look to a new overseas player to take on the job.”Kevin has been typically committed and thoroughly professional as captain,” said Coverdale. KEVIN CURRAN has been sacked as the captain of Northamptonshire after just one season in charge. The commission had been seeking evidence from Mark Waugh and Mark Taylor..

CYCLING’S GOVERNING body, the UCI, is ready to ban Laurent Jalabert, the world’s top-ranked cyclist, from next week’s World Championship after he compared top officials to neo-Nazis, the French daily L’Equipe said yesterday. However, the committee now feels that Kevin can best serve Northamptonshire in 1999 – his benefit year – by concentrating on his own performances as a player.”No doubt there will be a lot of speculation, but at the moment there is no one under serious consideration to take over.”Australia’s Cricket Board has ruled out any of its players appearing at hearings into match-fixing scandals while on the current tour of Pakistan. “His dedication and determination have been exemplary and he was as disappointed as anyone that the club didn’t achieve more this season.”He was appointed to provide positive leadership and in many ways he did that. Festina were kicked out of the Tour de France after admitting to using the banned substance EPO. But Festina’s lawyers will argue that there should be a presumption of innocence in favour of the cyclists, who have still not appeared before a disciplinary tribunal.Separately, the newspaper reported that four cycling sponsors – BigMat, Casino, Cofidis and Le Francaises des Jeux – want to draw up a code of conduct to prevent repeats of the doping controversies that marred the Tour de France.Meeting in Paris, the sponsors agreed that doping cases should be dealt with more quickly, and that there should be stiffer sanctions for offenders.”We want to contribute to the redefinition of the rules that must govern professional cycling,” the group said, adding that they want to establish “a charter that is respectable and respected.”. Jalabert recently described the UCI as a “dictatorship” and its commissioners as “half Dracula and half neo-Nazi”.

The UCI president, Hein Verbruggen, told L’Equipe that the Frenchman has until Sunday to apologise or be excluded from the world championships, which begin next Tuesday in Maastricht in the Netherlands.
“If Laurent Jalabert doesn’t send us a letter of apology before 4 October… he will be excluded from the world championships,” Verbruggen said.”We can not let this pass, Jalabert wanted to put his comments on the table wittily, but I find his sense of humour intolerable. Comparing people to neo-Nazis, that’s not funny and that’s going too far.” Jalabert has promised to apologise, but has still not done so, Verbruggen added. Any suspension could last between one and six months.The Festina team might challenge its expulsion from the world championships. CYCLING’S GOVERNING body, the UCI, is ready to ban Laurent Jalabert, ranked best in the world, from next week’s world championships after he compared top officials to neo-Nazis, the French newspaper L’Equipe said yesterday. He is now an 11-2 chance, from 8-1, so someone must have been backing him. Perhaps it was his psychotherapist.Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe: Ladbrokes: 9-2 Dream Well, High-Rise, 5-1 Croco Rouge, Sagamix, 6-1 Sea Wave, 8-1 Limpid, 16-1 others.

1,000 Guineas: Ladbrokes: 5-1 Bionic, 7-1 Bint Allayl, 14-1 Kareymah, 16-1 Etiaaz, 20- 1 Calando, Ebadiya, Starspangled, 33-1 others. Cambridgeshire Handicap: Ladbrokes: 8-1 Dokos, Pasternak, 9-1 Supply And Demand, 12-1 Almond Rock, 14-1 Silk St John, 16-1 others.. The main mover in their market yesterday, though, was Sea Wave, the horse who dumped Lanfranco Dettori after a couple of strides in the Prix Niel. “I thought that he was the strongest before the French Derby, but Dream Well proved me wrong that day. On Sunday however, I think Croco Rouge may gain his revenge.”Coral agree with him, although only just.