English cricketer Graham Wagg was handed a 15-month suspension by the England Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday after admitting cocaine use and Warwickshire reacted by terminating his contract.
The 21-year-old returned from India last winter having impressed on England A's tour and was tipped by many critics to be the next youngster set to establish his credentials for a senior international call-up.
PHOTO: AP
But a frustrating season disrupted by a back injury, which prevented him making a single championship appearance as Warwickshire romped to the title, ended when he tested positive for cocaine use following the final Totesport League match of the summer against Gloucestershire on Sept. 4.
He admitted the offence at a preliminary hearing of the England and Wales Cricket Board's Discipline Standing Committee at Lord's at the end of that month, a decision which helped his cause on Monday when they reconvened at Lord's and stopped short of imposing the maximum penalty of a two-year ban for this type of offence.
Wagg's inexperience at 21, his immediate regret and honesty and his previously good record were taken into account when chairman Gerard Elias QC instead imposed a 15-month ban which will last until Jan. 1, 2006.
He immediately issued a statement which thanked "the ECB Disciplinary Panel for their leniency," and added that he was "conscious that he has let himself, his county and the game of cricket down."
"He accepts his punishment with humility and will do his very best to return to cricket on Jan. 1, 2006 a better and stronger cricketer and person."
For Wagg to do that he will first have to persuade a new county to take a chance on him after Warwickshire responded to the decision by announcing their plans to sack him as soon as it was legally possible.
A statement from Edgbaston revealed: "Warwickshire County Cricket Club fully supports the action taken by the ECB. It does not condone the use of illegal drugs in any circumstances, and continues to take a very firm stance in such cases.
"The club is very disappointed that one of its players has tested positive for a banned substance, but is pleased to note that he has shown remorse and pleaded guilty to this serious offence.
"In the circumstances, the club will be terminating Graham's contract as soon as is legally practicable. However, it will provide the best possible advice, support and encouragement to Graham during his rehabilitation period."
Wagg can at least take encouragement from Ed Giddins' similar experience after he also tested positive for cocaine in 1996 and was given an 18-month ban and also sacked by Sussex immediately.
His career was rescued by Warwickshire and Giddins performed impressively enough to earn four England Test caps under Nasser Hussain's captaincy before retiring last year.
The Mutu matter
Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu has admitted testing positive for cocaine and will not ask for his "B" sample to be analysed, English players' union chief Gordon Taylor said yesterday.
Mutu's agent Giovani Becali said in Bucharest that the Romania striker's test had been carried out on Oct. 1 at the request of new Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho. The 25-year-old now faces a ban of up to two years. Taylor, head of the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), told Sky Sports News: "We had a meeting with him yesterday and there will now be correspondence to the FA [Football Association] and a hearing proceeded with as quickly as possible without the second sample being tested.
"He's accepted that he did test positive for cocaine ... and so we've got to deal with it under the social drugs procedure that we have in line with the FA."
Another of Mutu's agents, Gheorghe Popescu, said on Monday he had been informed by Chelsea of a positive test for a drug that was not performance-enhancing and said Mutu had been "destroyed" by the news.
Becali said Mourinho had asked for Mutu to be tested after a Champions League game in September.
"Mourinho asked for the test after Mutu failed to show up at training soon after the match against Paris Saint Germain, when Mutu was not called [off the bench]," Becali said.
"The test was held on Oct. 1. I think Mourinho's decision followed Mutu's bizarre attitude.
"Mourinho was fair when he called me to clarify Mutu's file which [former coach] Claudio Ranieri handed to the Portuguese," Becali said.
"There were there a lot of bad things about Mutu. I tried to make Mutu look better but I failed to persuade Mourinho."
Mourinho took over at Chelsea, run by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, in the close season after winning the Champions League with Porto.
Mutu's case comes a year after Chelsea sacked their Australian goalkeeper Mark Bosnich for testing positive for cocaine. The player also picked up a nine-month FA ban.
Taylor said: "It is possible for a club to have one of their players tested if they feel there is such problems.
"With Mark Bosnich, he wasn't in the first team and they did then take the opportunity to cancel the contract. Adrian Mutu cost ?4315 million (US$26.91 million) and that's a great deal of money to write off.
"I would hope, bearing in mind that investment, that they've as much interest in getting the player right and back on track as the player has himself -- and we have."
As for disciplinary proceedings, Taylor said: "We have a distinction between social drugs and those which are performance enhancing. If the player accepts he is guilty and is prepared to undertake rehabilitation, to be checked regularly, to be clean, there is great sympathy towards the player."
"WADA, the world anti-doping agency, is reluctant to have such a distinction though, so that may well create a problem."
Under WADA's doping regime brought in this year, a two-year ban is imposed for positive drugs tests in any sport
FRUSTRATION: Alcaraz made several unforced errors over four sets against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, who had never made it past the third round in a major competition Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the fourth round of the French Open after laboring past Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the Friday night session. The second-seeded Spaniard had never before played Dzumhur, a 33-year-old Bosnian who had never been past the third round at any major tournament. “I suffered quite a lot today,” Alcaraz said. “The first two sets was under control, then he started to play more deeply and more aggressively. It was really difficult for me.” Dzumhur hurt his left knee in a fall in the second round, and had treatment on Friday on his right leg during the
‘DREAM’: The 5-0 victory was PSG’s first Champions League title, and the biggest final win by any team in the 70-year history of the top-flight European competition Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League for the first time as Luis Enrique’s brilliant young side outclassed Inter on Saturday in the most one-sided final ever with teenager Desire Doue scoring twice in an astonishing 5-0 victory. Doue supplied the pass for Achraf Hakimi to give PSG an early lead and the 19-year-old went from provider to finisher as his deflected shot doubled the advantage in the 20th minute. Doue scored again just after the hour mark, ending any doubt about the outcome before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ran away to get the fourth and substitute Senny Mayulu, another teenager, made it five. Inter were
The Greek basketball league finals between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos were suspended by the government on Monday following on-court scuffles involving rival security teams. The best-of-five series is at 1-1. The third game, scheduled for today, has been postponed. The owners of both clubs were summoned to meet with the country’s sports minister. They “will be asked to provide explicit guarantees that this situation will be brought to an end. If not, this year’s championship will be definitively canceled,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said. “There can be no tolerance for such pathological phenomena of violence and delinquency.” In online posts, the owners of Panathinaikos and
Defender Steph Catley says her UEFA Women’s Champions League title win with Arsenal last week will act as motivation to secure continental glory with Australia when the country hosts the Women’s Asian Cup next year. Catley and compatriots Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross were part of the Arsenal squad that defeated Barcelona in Lisbon on Sunday last week, before flying to Melbourne to feature in the Matildas’ 2-0 win over Argentina on Friday. The game was the first in a two-match series against the South Americans as the Australians continue preparations for the continental championship in March next year, when they would
RSS