With new instances of racism, sexism, corruption and alcoholism this week, the sporting scandal-ometer has rolled on unabated into 2012.
It would take no genius to speculate that another England Rugby player might be responsible for drink related antics, and after two offences in a month Danny Care has duly obliged.
It is good to see Stuart Lancaster adopt a tougher line than his predecessors but the problem clearly lies far deeper than one careless scrum half.
The Amir Khan 'defeat or not a defeat’ saga has taken a new twist with the emergence of a shadowy and unknown scoreboard-tampering intruder. If the allegations are true it speaks dividends for the sports integrity, but sympathy must be felt for Lamont Peterson whose greatest victory could now be overturned.
WBC President Jose Sulaiman has damaged the sport’s integrity further, by responding to the convenient postponement of Floyd Mayweather’s jail sentence by proclaiming that “Beating a lady is not nice, but it is not a major sin or crime.”
It looks like the Sepp Blatter school of sporting governance is attracting new students.
And after another week of racism allegations, football certainly has no right to take the moral high ground. They may not share a sentence vary often but Oldham’s Tom Adeyemi and Barcelona’s Dani Alves are the latest victims of appalling terrace chanting.
Factor in Frank Lampard’s escape for being too nice, Joey Barton’s punishment for being too nasty and Wayne Rooney latest rupture with Sir Alex, than the oval-balled game really has been as scandalous as ever.
Yet while it must be the most overused cliché in the history of sport, but the “romance and magic” of the Cup was there again this weekend as Swindon knocked out Wigan before a scintillating Manchester derby.
Considering City’s first half woes, it would be foolish to read too much into the final result, yet in the second-half Mancini’s team’s resilience was admirable.
Despite avoiding a third straight defeat, problems still remain for United, and the resurrection of a 37 year old to partner a 38 year old in midfield hardly seems the answer.
Speaking of nostalgia Chris Ashton, him of those halcyon swallow-diving days of English success, returned to prominence as his Northampton side overpowered league leaders Harlequins to add further spice to the Premiership title race.
With youngsters such as Farrell, Morgan and Robshaw at the helm, the Six Nations should be a fresh start for England, and the defending champions cannot be discounted from the title race.
The end of the international break is upon us in Cricket as well as Rugby, and it is remarkable that even with Tremlett and Bresnan out, Graham Onions can still not return to the team.
James Pattinson is another who would struggle for selection, but since he abandoned the blue cap for the baggy green, he’s done pretty well, as along with triple-centurion Michael Clarke he helped the Aussies to another triumphant win over the Indians, who are as bad on the road as England Rugby would be on the wagon.
With his new coach in tow Andy Murray started another career defining season well, with a comfortable victory in Brisbane. If only he could do that at a Grand Slam...
And in what could be a famous year for Britons on the water, Sailor Brian Thompson helped break the record for the globe’s fastest circumnavigation, while in Darts that other err, great feat of human endurance, Adrian Lewis won his 2nd world title at Ally Pally.
Yet the weeks biggest shock came at Holyrood Park, Edinburgh, where the king of distance running Kenenisa Bekele finished just 11th over 3km, beaten by no less than five Britons including 19 year old runner-up Jonny Hay.
It certainly begs the question of whether such a lacklustre performance merits appearance money, but write off the Ethiopian at your peril. When he needs to be running well he invariably does so and Bekele v Farah remains one of the most appetising showdowns of 2012.
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