Inside Lines: Fury as top job goes to another man of Straw

Another of Jack Straw's old pals is set to become London's sports overlord. The appointment of 62-year-old Lord Warner of Brockley as the chairman of the new London Regional Sports Board, a key role with the possibility of an Olympic bid by the capital, is expected shortly. Curiously, like Patrick Carter, named last month as the new chairman of Sport England, he is close to the Foreign Secretary. Carter, Straw's former schoolmate, was best man at both his weddings; when Straw was Home Secretary, Warner was one of his senior policy advisers. Also like Carter, he appears to have little interest in sport, although he is said to drop into Surrey CCC, where he is a social member, for the occasional swift half. Last night the Shadow Sports Minister, John Greenway, described the development as "cronyism gone mad". He said: "I was astounded by Carter's appointment but this is equally appalling. I find it unbelievable that they can't find anyone for these jobs with a genuine sporting background. They appear to want only those who will push through New Labour policies. Once again, sport is being sold up the river." Currently chairman of the Youth Justice Board, with experience in community affairs, health and social services – credentials the Government feel qualify him for the new job – Warner was involved in cronyism allegations before when Tories and Liberal Democrats vetoed his nomination for the chair of the Audit Commission. Subsequently he resigned the Labour whip and now sits in the Lords as a crossbencher. While his appointment was made on 18 December it has yet to be formally announced, as it is still awaiting the endorsement of Carter, to whom he must report.

Brooking snub but Davies gets freedom

They really are a mean-spirited mob, those uncivil servants who supposedly look after sport's interests in Whitehall. Vindictive, too, which is surely why Trevor Brooking was deprived of a deserved knighthood in the New Year Honours. The snub followed his well-directed postscript on Government sports policy-makers when he stepped down as chairman of Sport England. However, he is in good company at the BBC, where commentary-box colleague Barry Davies is one of the few top sports broadcasters never to have been honoured. From Coleman through to Walker via McLaren and Motty, they've all being gonged, but Davies's lapel remains a medal-free zone, even though he is among the most accomplished and is certainly the most versatile of all. But consolation comes tomorrow when he becomes an Honorary Freeman of the City of London at a Guildhall ceremony, thus joining such celebrated company as Churchill and Mandela. Davies, 63, has covered a total of 25 World Cups and Olympics – plus seven Lord Mayor's shows, which is why London's top brass are putting on a show for him.

Government to ignore 'flawed' bid report

The untimely leaking of a report which is potentially damaging to any London Olympic bid has further strained the relationship between the report's authors, the Government-funded quango UK Sport, and the British Olympic Association. Compiled by UK Sport's head of international affairs, John Scott, the report casts doubt on the winnability of a 2012 bid and also, nonsensically, on the influence the much-respected BOA chairman, Craig Reedie, has as a British representative on the IOC. Reedie, a former deputy chairman of UK Sport, is privately furious, but Government sources insist the seven-page document will not influence their decision, describing it as "out of date and superficial".

While acknowledging the fistic tendency of their man Roy Keane, Irish football fans will be impressed to discover that he has now knocked out Mike Tyson. On paper, anyway. The Manchester United mauler has leapfrogged over the former world heavyweight champion to top the sports hate list of a website which invites punters to nominate the celebrities they most despise.

More than 44,000 have plumped for Keane in the poll run by www.loathing list.com, putting him way ahead of Tyson, Lee Bowyer, Ken Bates, Michael Schumacher and Naseem Hamed. Pundits Ian Botham and Jimmy Hill also get dishonourable mentions, and there are quite a few votes for David Beckham. Howard Wilkinson, Bruce Grobbelaar and, surprisingly, Kriss Akabusi (must be that laugh). But none for Paula Radcliffe (course not), George Best, Nasser Hussain or those truly noble artists Muhammad Ali and Sir 'Enry Cooper, who, unlike Keane, knew how to make a proper fist of things.

As one who defied his future boss Margaret Thatcher and went to Moscow to win an Olympic gold medal while the Soviets were marauding in Afghanistan in 1980, Sebastian Coe now suggests a similar tactic over Zimbabwe.

"We did not take part in the opening ceremony and refused to be photographed with the Soviet leadership," he says. "There is no reason why cricket could not do the same." Coe reckons the sight of the England team (plus the Aussies if they are up for it) turning their backs on Mugabe could be more effective than any boycott. Alternatively, might not Hussain and Co do as England's footballers did when playing in Berlin in 1936, and give this crazed despot a Nazi salute?

insidelines@independent.co.uk

Exit Lines

What do you expect from someone who looks like Red Rum? Comedy scriptwriter Alan Simpson and one-time aspirant goalkeeper on the aberrations of David Seaman ... I've seen a lot worse professional championships. Commentator Reg Gutteridge hypes the BBC's farcical celebrity handbagging between Ricky Gervais and Grant Bovey... He can jump on one of our planes and know there's not a guy sitting a few rows back with a bomb in his shoe. Birmingham owner David Gold reveals why David Beckham is a regular passenger on Gold Air, his luxury airline.