SPORTING SCANDALS OF 2022: The most controversial stories

Another year is coming to a close and 2022 has provided sporting fans with some of the most awe-inspiring, record-breaking and jaw-dropping moments. 

But there have also been plenty of controversies and scandals that will live long in the memory after ruffling a few feathers in the sporting world. 

From ‘s drug scandal to Draymond Green’s fight with Jordan Poole – and who can forget ‘s exit – Sportsmail has rounded up the biggest sporting scandals of 2022. 

Benn’s failed drug test

The boxing world was plunged into chaos earlier this year . 

Benn returned an adverse finding for the banned substance clomifene, which is typically used to treat infertility in women but can increase testosterone in men.

As a result, the British Boxing Board of Control stepped in to say they would no longer sanction his highly-anticipated fight with Eubank Jr.

Benn decided to have his B sample tested in the hope that would clear his name. However, he recorded a second positive test. 

Therefore, UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and the WBC decided to launch an investigation into the 26-year-old son of Nigel Benn. 

Benn has furiously denied cheating and did. 

His statement read: ‘I want to start by saying this has been a very difficult time – not just for me, but my family and my team. 

‘I couldn’t have got through this without the love and support of those closest to me and my supporters who have stood by me, I am forever grateful. 

‘My team and I have worked extremely hard over the past seven years to make me the fighter I am today, we have never cut corners or cheated the grind in any way. We believe in work ethic, determination and pure heart to achieve what we have set out to accomplish.

‘It’s been really hard for me to accept that people think that I would do what I was accused of but what I’ve come to realise is people rush to judgement, without knowing the facts especially people in the boxing community (and, most disappointingly, even those that know me).

‘Although I’ve kept away from social media, I’m well aware of those who have thrown dirt on my name. I’ll forgive but I won’t forget.

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‘Tony Sims has had a clean gym for 26 years, I respect the gym. No one is bigger than the gym! Hard work and dedication is what we stand for. We don’t condone cheating or cutting corners.

‘I’m thankful to my dad who has been with me through this whole period and I’m glad this nightmare is coming to an end for the sake of our combined mental health.

‘Never did we think we’d go through something like this but they say the hardest fight is life and the adversity it brings. I want to make up for lost time and not let another moment go to waste.

‘Boxing is my life. I’ve been through hardships in my career before but nothing like this, I believe in life you go through adversity of all kinds but what matters most is how you respond.

‘I’ve stayed in the gym and continued to work extremely hard, staying positive that my innocence will be proven and the truth will come out. My team has proven my innocence and the truth will soon come out. Until then, I won’t be commenting further due to confidentiality.

‘There were times I feared it never would but we all had faith. I’m thankful to everyone who has supported me through this tough time. tough times don’t last, tough people do. We keep it moving and will continue to chase the end goal of being world champion – it’s a minor setback for a major comeback.

‘For now, I am looking forward to sharing Christmas privately with my family and I will be back in January. See you all in 2023, the year I become world champion!’.

Meanwhile Hearn recently told : ‘I can’t wait because I think a lot of people will be surprised by what’s about to come out about Conor Benn.

‘I think he’s going to be fighting sooner than you think. If he does receive a ban, which from the information that we have, I don’t think it’s necessarily it’s fair.

‘But if it is, I don’t think it’s going to be a long ban at all. I don’t want to be too cocksure, but I think it’s going to be really interesting about what comes out here.

‘I think there’s a very good chance that he won’t be receiving a ban. Again, I can’t say too much, but that information. This is an independent [investigation].

‘This is a legal system that is being rolled through people with all the news and facts. In my opinion, from what I’ve seen, if there is a ban, it cannot be a sizable ban from the facts that will be produced.’

Ronaldo’s bitter Manchester United exit

There are a number of places I could start when it comes to Cristiano Ronaldo’s antics at Manchester United as the 37-year-old found himself grabbing the headlines for all the wrong reasons during his time at Old Trafford. 

after he slapped a mobile phone out of the hand of a teenage fan after United’s defeat at Everton in April.

He then found himself in hot water once again after  

The 37-year-old star was furious about being left on the bench until the 87th minute of the Premier League game. 

Erik ten Hag reportedly asked him to come on for the final few minutes, but he refused. Ronaldo then decided to head off down the tunnel before the final whistle had been blown. 

It marked the second time Ronaldo had left a United game without permission under Ten Hag. In July, Ronaldo exited Old Trafford at half-time after being substituted in a pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano. 

As a result, Ronaldo was axed from the United squad that faced Chelsea and was forced to train on his own. 

However, the straw that broke the camel’s back was Ronaldo’s bombshell interview with Piers Morgan ahead of the World Cup. 

that saw him criticise the club, Ten Hag and the Glazers. 

– just days after he blanked the pundit live on TV after growing frustrated over his criticisms.

While speaking to Morgan, Ronaldo accused his former team-mate of criticising him only to boost his own fame – before declaring him and Wayne Rooney not friends of his. 

The 37-year-old said: ‘To listen as ex-colleagues or team-mates criticise you, when they only see one point of view. It’s easy. It’s easy to criticise, I don’t know if you have a job in television that they must criticise to be more famous.

‘I really don’t understand it. It’s hard when you see people who was in the dressing room with you criticising that way.’

Ronaldo added: ‘It’s hard to listen to that sort of criticism and negativity from people who play with you, for example Gary Neville as well.

‘People can have their own opinion but they don’t know what is going inside the training ground at Carrington – or even my life.

‘They shouldn’t listen to one point of view – they should listen to my point of view as well, because it’s easy to criticise [when] you don’t know the whole story

 ‘They are not my friends, they are colleagues. We play together, they’re not coming, we’re not ever having dinner together.’

In addition to his comments regarding Rooney and Neville,

‘I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me,’ Ronaldo told Morgan. 

‘Some people, they don’t want me here – not only the coach but the other two or three guys. Not only this year, but last year too.

‘Honestly, I shouldn’t say that. But listen, I don’t care. People should listen to the truth. ‘

While he also accused the club of not moving with the times, saying that they had been surpassed by Liverpool, Manchester City – and now even Arsenal. 

He said: ‘Since Sir Alex Ferguson left I saw no evolution in the club, the progress was zero. Nothing changed. Not only the pool, the jacuzzi, even the gym. They stopped in time, which surprised me a lot.

‘I think the fans should know the truth. I want the best for the club. But you have some things inside [the club] that don’t help reach the top level as City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal.’ 

Djokovic’s Australian nightmare 

It seems like a life time ago. But yes, 2022 was the year that Novak Djokovic was banned from Australian and US tournaments due to his stance on the Covid-19 vaccination. 

Djokovic was deported on the eve of the 2022 Australian Open in January for not being vaccinated and received a three-year travel ban for the country. 

Former immigration minister Alex Hawke used his discretionary powers to cancel the 35-year-old’s visa and ban him from re-entering the country until 2025. 

However, the former world number one’s visa ban was waived in November, opening up a path for Djokovic to target a 10th Australian Open crown in 2023 and giving him a chance to tie Rafa Nadal’s mark of 22 Grand Slam titles. 

Nevertheless, Djokovic endured a difficult year. 

His ordeal in Australia dominated the headlines. He then made an even bigger splash when he said he would refuse to play in future Grand Slams tournaments if it meant he had to take a Covid vaccine.

Therefore, he was ruled out of the US Open as the event organisers said they would respect the government’s rules on non-citizens being fully vaccinated in order to enter the country.

Speaking at the time, Djokovic said: ‘I’m not going to go to America if I don’t have permission, so the Australian saga for me was not pleasant at all.

‘People still think I forced my way to Australia and tried to come in with no papers, permission or exemption – it is not true.

‘That was proven in the court cases, so I would never go into a country where I didn’t have permission to travel.

‘I would love to come back to Australia. I love Australia, I had my best Grand Slam results in that country.

‘Hopefully I can be there in January because I want to be there, and I also want to be in New York. I want to be in America and everywhere I can possibly play.’

LeBron sued over an ice hockey movie

LeBron James and rappers Drake and Future were the subject of a $10million lawsuit – filed in September – over their documentary on Canada’s ‘Colored Hockey League’.

Billy Hunter – the former head of the NBA Players Association and a former federal prosecutor – says the he acquired the legal rights to produce any film about the Colored Hockey League that began in 1895. 

The lawsuit, filed by Hunter’s attorney Larry Hutcher, read: ‘While the defendants LeBron James, Drake and Maverick Carter [LeBron’s business partner] are internationally known and renowned in their respective fields of basketball and music, it does not afford them the right to steal another’s intellectual property.’

Hutcher went on to explain the reasoning behind his lawsuit, telling DailyMail.com that there was ‘no choice’ in a short statement.

‘The athlete and rappers have not responded to any inquiries following the initial cease and desist letter,’ Hutcher wrote.

‘Billy always thought this was going to be a powerful story and it was literally shocking to him when he found out that the documentary was moving forward.’

‘The legal team considered an injunction to stop the moving from playing at the Toronto International Film Festival but decided against it.’

Zouma filmed kicking his cat

Kurt Zouma landed himself in a world of trouble in 2022, having been caught on social media abusing his cat. 

Zouma could be seen volleying the Bengal cat across his kitchen, before throwing a pair of shoes at it and slapping its head. 

The shocking incident came to light after a woman who had been due to go on a date with Kurt’s brother Yoan saw the footage on his Snapchat, prompting her to raise the alarm and cancel her date. 

The West Ham defender pleaded guilty to two counts under the Animal Welfare Act when he appeared at Thames Magistrates’ Court in east London in May. 

West Ham also fined Zouma two weeks’ wages, worth £250,000, but the club’s response was criticised and labelled as weak because they allowed him to continue playing.  

Nevertheless, West Ham did state that they ‘unreservedly condemned’ Zouma’s actions and that ‘in no way condone cruelty towards animals’. 

West Ham released the following statement at the time, saying: ‘West Ham United unreservedly condemns the actions of our player, Kurt Zouma, in the video that has circulated.

‘We have spoken to Kurt and will be dealing with the matter internally, but we would like to make it clear that we in no way condone cruelty towards animals.’ 

Simmons refusal to play in the NBA

Looks like Ronaldo isn’t the only one who refused to play this season. 

Ben Simmons pulled the same move in America but on a much greater scale. He refused to play in the NBA for an entire season.

Simmons established himself as a star in the NBA after bursting onto the scene in 2017. He went on to win Rookie of the Year in 2018 and helped the Philadelphia 76ers reach the second round of the 2021 NBA playoffs.

However, it all started to go downhill for Simmons after their final game with the Atlanta Hawks. The fans criticised Simmons for deciding to pass the ball instead of scoring a dunk.

Simmons accepted responsibility after the game. However, the backlash against the star just kept coming. As a result, Simmons requested a trade.

Simmons then failed to report to training ahead of the 2021-2022 season. He was hit with several fines for refusing to play but cited mental health issues for the reason behind his absence.

The NBA star finally secured a trade in February 2022 – swapping Philadelphia 76ers to Brooklyn Nets. However, that didn’t stop him from making the headlines.

He still refused to play. Again, the 26-year-old cited mental health issues and a physical health problem for his withdrawal from action. Therefore, he missed an entire season.

Masvidal takes the fight outside the Octagon 

MMA fighter Jorge Masvidal was charged with felony battery after allegedly attacking Colby Covington outside a Miami Beach restaurant in March. 

The incident with his rival took place just three weeks after their bout at UFC 272 in las vegas shows Vegas – where Covington won via unanimous decision.

The pair were reportedly seen arguing outside of a restaurant called Papi Steak before Masvidal ‘sucker punched’ his former opponent twice. 

Covington is said to have suffered a broken tooth from the altercation and was heard venting his frustrations on camera. 

It was TMZ who posted the original video of Masvidal and Covington. Masvidal was the first person heard during the clip. He said: ‘Don’t talk about my kids’, while being held back. 

Later in the clip, Covington was heard saying: ‘He’s over here swinging, trying to come at me, and I ran out the back of the room.’ He then turned to social media star and podcast host Bob Menery and asked, ‘How would he even know I’m here?’.

The rise of LIV Golf

A number of the world’s top golfers chose to jump ship from the traditional PGA Tour in favour of the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf this year. 

The massively lucrative and controversial new competition was widely criticised by fans when it was first announced by Greg Norman in March. 

Many felt it was Saudi Arabia’s latest and most transparent attempt to improve their global image and mask numerous human rights issues through sport.

After launching this year, the Saudi-backed breakaway series confirmed it will return in 2023 in the new form of the LIV Golf League with $405million up for grabs in prize purses and the chance for promotions and relegations.

Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Sergio Garcia are just a few of the sport’s big names to ditch the traditional tours for the riches on offer in LIV Golf. 

It has prompted something of a civil war within the sport, with Rory McIlroy the most vocal of critics against the new competition.

Last week it was announced that LIV players will be invited to the Masters in 2023, which means we’ll get plenty of awkward glances and chats when both sides of the battle for golf’s future meet at Augusta National.  

Green’s practice punch

Team-mates are known for falling out or stepping on each others toes, but I think punching someone square in the face is taking it slightly too far.

But, that’s exactly what Draymond Green did when he lamped Golden State Warriors team-mate Jordan Poole. 

Video footage showed Green exchanging words with Poole along the baseline before squaring up to the smaller guard while still on the court. 

Poole tried to push the veteran forward out of the way while concerned teammates and coaches begin to take notice of what was going on. 

Green was furious at Poole for pushing him and lashed out – sucker punching the 23-year-old square in the face with a strong right hook. 

Those watching were quick to react. They grabbed onto Green and prevented him from throwing another punch. While the others checked on Poole. 

Poole was said to be fine after chewing Green’s fist and reportedly finished training with the Golden State Warriors.