MATT HUGHES - AHEAD OF THE GAME: We round up hidden stories as agents attempt to sign up Rashford and Arsenal ban stewards from drinking coffee from their club sponsor to cut costs.

The American, who is the heavy favourite to win the 100m in Doha, had faced a potential suspension after three missed tests in a 12-month period, as revealed by Sportsmail .

RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: The explosive development follows a four-year investigation by the US Anti-Doping Agency into the work done by the coach, who runs the Nike Oregon Project.

The world of athletics was rocked on Tuesday when the coach who led Sir Mo Farah to his Olympic gold medals was banished from the sport in disgrace for doping violations.

Sportsmail has learned Salazar has instructed his lawyers to prepare for another lengthy battle after immediately announcing his intention to appeal USADA's judgement earlier this week.

There was a time, long before their visceral hatred of adidas fuelled a desire to become the biggest, brashest sports brand of all, when Nike had something resembling a soul.

The head of the US Anti-Doping Agency, Travis Tygart, who led the conviction of Alberto Salazar for doping offences has hit back at Paula Radcliffe.

Dillian Whyte could be back in the ring before the New Year and is still optimistic about beating his doping charge.  The investigation into his failed test is still ongoing.

A former rugby league star (pictured) has been jailed for smuggling exotic animals to pay off a $25,000 debt.  

James Segeyaro, 28, was stood down from the Brisbane Broncos in October after returning a positive A-sample for banned muscle-enhancing drugs.

EXCLUSIVE BY MIKE KEEGAN: Top-flight stars can now access information via their mobile phones on a wide range of issues including doping regulations and plans for a life after football.

Shane Sutton sensationally stormed out of the Richard Freeman medical tribunal on Tuesday after branding the former Team Sky and British Cycling medic a 'spineless liar'.

Russia could be set for a new ban from major international sporting events like next summer's Olympic and Paralympic Games over claimed inconsistencies in anti-doping data.

The prospect of Russian track and field athletes taking part in the Tokyo Olympics are looking slimmer after the president of the country's athletics federation was charged on Thursday.

It follows an investigation into the data handed over by the Moscow laboratory in January as part of the reintegration process of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency following the state-sponsored doping scandal.

Investigators from the World Anti-Doping Agency found inconsistencies in laboratory data obtained from the Russian anti-doping agency in January.

Dillian Whyte has been officially cleared by UK Anti-Doping following a lengthy investigation into a positive test in the build-up to his points win against Oscar Rivas in the summer.

Dillian Whyte should be immediately reinstated as mandatory challenger for the WBC heavyweight title after being cleared of doping, according to promoter Eddie Hearn. 

Russia have been banned from the world's top sporting events for four years, including next summer's Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Qatar World Cup, for tampering with doping tests.

Vladimir Putin's comments come after WADA barred teams under a Russian flag from competing at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020 and 2022 and the football World Cup in 2022.

EXCLUSIVE BY DANIEL MATTHEWS: Whyte failed a drugs test ahead of his fight with Oscar Rivas in London in July. The Brixton heavyweight also changed his gloves at the last minute.

Speaking about the World Anti-Doping Agency's decision, Putin said Russia were 'being punished for the same thing twice - we've never had anything like this in the history of humankind.'

Two-time London marathon winner Kenyan Wilson Kipsang has been provisionally suspended for whereabouts failures and tampering with samples, the Athletics Integrity Unit revealed.

EXCLUSIVE BY MATT HUGHES: The ECB already conduct more drugs tests than any other domestic board, with more than 350 taking place last summer, and even more due to occur this summer.

Russia have hit out at UK Anti-Doping for constructing a 'wall of distrust' by refusing to hand over Mo Farah's blood and urine samples to the World Anti-Doping Agency. 

Tebas has previously accused Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain of 'ruining the entire system' and called for them to be thrown out of European competition.

According to the Mirror, Barnsley boss Gerhard Struber held a team meeting to break the news last week before informing the group that Diaby would not be featuring against Bristol City last Saturday.

The five-bedroom five-bathroom home nestled in Aspen, Colorado, also boasts underground rooms. The disgraced cyclist said last year one of his family's favorite places there is the fire pit.

Findings from the independent review into UK Athletics' handling of the Alberto Salazar affair are due to be announced in the spring.

RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: It emerged in Panorama on that some UKA officials had misgivings about whether administering the legal supplement ahead of the London Marathon was within the 'spirit of sport'.

EXCLUSIVE BY RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: British Olympian Pavey has called for greater scrutiny of Salazar's involvement at UK Athletics from his four years as consultant with the organisation.

Mark Dry, 32, had appealed successfully to a sports resolution panel against the ban for lying about why he was not at the address provided in his whereabouts information in October 2018.

Chinese swimmer Sun Yang has been banned for eight years. The Court of Arbitration for Sport found the three-time Olympic champion guilty of refusing to cooperate with sample collectors.

Adam Peaty hit out at 'fool' Sun Yang for 'disrespecting' swimming after China's three-time Olympic champion was banned for eight years for missing a doping test.

Mo Farah has said that he has been left depressed over accusations that he lied about taking performance-enhancing injections.

Steven Gerrard is seen by many as the eventual heir to Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager but the Rangers boss is not making a convincing case for himself at the moment. 

Liverpool's Takumi Minamino says former Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa convinced him to move to Anfield and join up with manager Jurgen Klopp.

Harvey Elliott will sign a three-year contract this summer to reward the excellent start he has made to his life at Liverpool. A fresh deal will be penned running to the end of the 2023 season.

Liverpool are striving to become only the second team in Premier League history to go a season unbeaten, but their next opponents Watford are focussed on fighting for their lives at the bottom.

Despite being 22 points clear, Liverpool reportedly could yet 'miss out on the Premier League title' if coronavirus cuts short the season in a bid to combat the spread of the killer virus.

In a dramatic decision which would likely reverberate down to grassroots level, Liverpool would be denied the top-flight title and struggling teams would be saved from dropping down.

DANNY MURPHY: This is a golden period for dynamic English midfield players between the ages of 20 and 25. Jack Grealish should be one of those around the top of the game for the next decade.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admitted he didn't see his side's unbeaten run coming to an end against Watford after their shock 3-0 defeat on Saturday but says they deserved to lose.

OLIVER HOLT AT VICARAGE ROAD - The season's biggest upset was served up here before us, as Jurgen Klopp's high-flying Liverpool lost their unbeaten record at the hands of Watford.

MARTIN KEOWN - MY VERDICT: Liverpool's sudden defeat gives me a renewed sense of how remarkable an achievement Arsenal's Invincibles season was.

Recent defeats to Atletico Madrid and Watford have checked Liverpool's momentum. Now Jurgen Klopp's side face a defining week of three matches across three competitions.

Troy Deeney, who scored the final goal in Watford's 3-0 win at Vicarage Road, said afterwards that his side had targeted Lovren as 'the easier' option to attack; the remark was seized upon by fans.

Andy Robertson has issued an apology to Liverpool fans as their hopes of an Invincibles season vanished after their shock 3-0 defeat against Watford.

Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool are ready to 'strike back' on the road to Wembley and says he would be an 'idiot' if he doubted the character of his players.

Jurgen Klopp's side set the standard this campaign and yet defeat at Stamford Bridge saw them go another game without scoring and making it eight goals conceded in their last four.