Australian Football League side Hawthorn's hierarchy has suggested that "clubs be allowed a
veterans' allowance for long-serving officials such as Alastair
Clarkson, which would mean that a veteran coach or official would have
part of his salary exempt from the cap on football spending." Hawthorn
President Andrew Newbold "raised the concept of a discount on the
football department tax, which the Hawks will pay next year, for an
official or coach who has served a long stint at a particular club" (THE AGE, 12/9). ... Central Queensland National Rugby League Bid CEO Denis Keeffe said that "he has received an assurance by NRL CEO Dave Smith that they will one day be granted a franchise." But Keeffe warned that "if they were not in the competition in five to 10 years’ time" the Australian Football League would “dominate” their region (AAP, 12/9). ... The Asian Racing Federation "is gearing up to lobby governments to prevent unauthorised betting on its members' race meetings." Several ARF countries "face the issue, including New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Singapore and Hong Kong." ARF Secretary General Andrew Harding said, "It's fundamentally a question of fairness. If a wagering operator wants to take bets on a country's races, then the first step should be to determine if that is acceptable to the racing industry that is putting on the show" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 12/9). ... Italy's "most notorious doctor," Michelle Ferrari, visited team Astana prior to the '14 season "in which it won the Tour de France" with Vincenzo Nibali, according to a new report. Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport reported, "In November 2013, one year ago, at the team’s first meeting for the 2014 season … a truly special guest arrived in the evening: Michele Ferrari." Ferrari was quick to post a denial on his website, writing, "I feel obliged, albeit very reluctantly, to once again deny the latest MEDIA BULLSH*T with regards to my presence ("during the night," or even in broad daylight, if you prefer) at the Astana Team Training Camp in Montecatini (I’ve been in that town, if I remember correctly, in 1994 to taste the famous waffles) last year in November." The 61-year-old Italian from Ferrara is "banned globally after being found guilty of doping cyclists over the past two decades" (VELO NEWS, 12/8).
