D Thursday, October 15, 2009 METROSPORT 29 SPORTDigest Stumbling to finish: Button Button could blow it FORMULA ONE: David Coulthard fears Jenson Button could still waste his chance of winning the title. Button requires just six points from the final two races in Brazil this weekend and Abu Dhabi on November 1 to be crowned world champion. The 29-year-old holds a 14-point cushion over Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello with Red Bulls Sebastian Vettel two points further adrift. Button is stumbling across the finish line and Coulthard said: In Brazil, Ill put my money on Rubens. Its his home track, Id be amazed if he doesnt ace it there. But you have to imagine Jenson will hold on and get across the line. It would be terrible to imagine him losing it after leading all season but he could. Drug checks ok with Al CYCLING: Tour de France winner Alberto Contador is totally relaxed despite French prosecutors opening a preliminary investigation after suspicious medical material was seized during the Tour, he said yesterday. A source close to the investigation specified that police were particularly interested in Contadors Astana team but the Spaniard was unfazed about the matter. In France, the fight against doping is total and Astana was the most scrutinised team in the Tour, Contador said. I heard they were looking into our waste but Im absolutely relaxed. Wales suffer Byrne blow RUGBY: Lee Byrne has been ruled out of Wales autumn international campaign after suffering ligament damage in his right foot. The Ospreys full- back limped off during last Sundays 32-32 Heineken Cup draw at Leicester with a recurrence of the injury which forced him out of the Lions tour in the summer. Byrne will be in plaster for six weeks before beginning a period of rehabilitation. Pyrenees key to Tour CYCLING: The riders of the 2010 Tour de France will have to contend with cobblestones and blustery North Sea winds before sinking their teeth into the mountain stages after the route for next years race was unveiled yesterday. The highlight will undoubtedly be four days in the Pyrenees, culminating in the 16th stage finish atop the brutal Col du Tourmalet. Well its not your traditional Tour, seven- times winner Lance Armstrong, who was third this year, said. [But] I was never one to say I like this Tour, I dislike this Tour. Its the Tour. Bjorn to quit Tour role GOLF: Thomas Bjorn is on the verge of resigning as chairman of the European Tours players committee just a week after his scathing attack on Padraig Harrington. The news comes as both players prepare for the start of todays Portugal Masters and ahead of a committee meeting to discuss tightening up tour rules. Ive been thinking about this for a while, said Bjorn (pictured). Ive not officially resigned but I am 90 per cent there. Bjorn said his decision was not linked to the clash with Harrington over asking players to commit to more tour events. MARAT SAFIN is refusing to bow out of tennis quietly after blasting his rivals following defeat in the Shanghai Masters. The Russian, who retires after next months Paris Masters, accused Tomas Berdych of feigning injury and refused to shake hands following his 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 defeat because his Czech opponent had called on the trainer to treat his knee during the second-round match. Safin said afterwards: If youre losing, just be a man; be a man and lose as a man. Dont pretend you are injured and then you start running around and start to hit winners and all of a sudden you pull the hands up in the air after winning the match? So then of course the guy will say, No, Ive been injured but then I felt a little bit better. Of course he will find 10,000 excuses. Still, its not enough. Youre playing or youre not playing. If you play, just shut up and play. Then Safin, 29, rounded on Andy Roddick and others who have complained about the length of the season, saying he had suggested it should be made shorter in 2004. The former world No.1 said: I was saying the season is too long. And the guys, they jumped on me, like I was the one who was wrong. Everybody is getting injured, complaining the season is long. It takes six years to realise something is wrong? World No.4 Novak Djokovic joined the burn-out row, saying: The schedule is too long. We have to go step by step and try to solve it. Meanwhile, Djokovic reached the third round with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Fabio Fognini, while world No.2 Rafael Nadal got a scare as he saw off James Blake 6-2, 6-7 (7-4), 6-4. Nothing to shout about: Safin lets off steam on his way to defeat against Berdych in Shanghai Take it like a man, pleads angry Safin TENNIS Picture: AP OSullivan anger over GPAs snub to CooperBY PAUL KEANE Best by a mile: OSullivan claims Cooper is No.1 DARRAN OSULLIVAN claims All-Ireland win- ning Kerry colleague Colm Cooper is the best player in the country by a mile. Cooper was this week somehow left off the GPAs 45-strong list of nominations for their Team of the Year. It was an amazing oversight as Cooper impressed in the final win over Cork and was the Championships top scorer. Instead, the likes of Sligos David Kelly and Der- rys Eoin Bradley have been nominated for a corner- forward position. You have to wonder who is picking these things, said Ulster Bank employee and All-Ireland winning captain OSullivan. People were saying Colm didnt score from play in the final but he won nearly every free we got. Hes definitely the best footballer in the country by a mile in my book. How he wasnt in that shortlist I dont know. OSullivan and Cooper will return for 2010 but there are no guarantees about key men Darragh S, Mike McCarthy, Tommy Walsh and David Moran. Veterans S and McCarthy could retire while AFL outfit St Kilda want to sign young guns Walsh and Moran. As far as I know theyre going out for a trial for a couple of weeks, said OSullivan of Walsh and Mo- ran. Sure who could blame them for going to Aus- tralia free of charge? Theyll be professionals for a couple of weeks and I cant imagine anyone saying no to that. Theyll go down there and obviously its up to them after that. As for veteran duo S and McCarthy, OSullivan is hopeful theyll stick around for another season. Darragh proved himself again this year and Mike Mac came back after a good break, OSullivan add- ed. Youd be hoping both will stay around. GAA Ballyboden fail in bid to put back Judes final THE Dublin SFC final will definitely go ahead on Sunday despite a postponement request from Ballyboden St Endas. Ballyboden made the appeal after finally overcoming holders Kilmacud Crokes on Tuesday night after two semi- final replays. They wanted to face St Judes in the final next Tuesday night instead of Sunday but the request was turned down by Dublin fixture chiefs. Its unfortunate because our guys came off the field wrecked after more extra-time on Tuesday night, said Boden chairman Paddy Walsh. We thought from the point of view of player welfare, which is constantly being spoken about, that our request might have been successful. index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html28.html29.html30.html31.html