Pigeon race-fixer branded ‘worse than Russians’ by real winner
PIGEON cheat Eamon Kelly was yesterday branded “no better than the Russians” by the real winner of the race he tried to fix.
Furious Mickey Locke, 72, said his cheating rival should be stripped of all his titles, prize money and banned for life for trying to fix the Tarbes race - the Grand National for pigeon racers .
The Sun's expose detailing his foiled plot rocked the pigeon racing world yesterday and sparked two probes as the story flew all over the world.
Mickey was eventually crowned the Tarbes champion after his pigeon flew 711 miles from the South of France back to his loft last weekend - at 38mph.
But not before Kelly had tried to snatch victory from his grasp.
He was desperate to claim his second Tarbes win in as many years but was forced to admit his pigeons never left his loft in Didcot, Oxfordshire.
Last night, Mickey, from Bromborough, Wirral, likened his big race scam to the state-sponsored doping of Russian athletes.
He told The Sun: "I can't stand these people.
"It must be greed or ego or both.
"It's tainted pigeon racing and is devastating.
"This is a working man's sport and the fella has taken money off them - it's disgraceful.
"It's like the Russians.
"People are flying the pigeons, preparing them, buying them and they are getting beat by a guy who has been cheating.
"I guess it's what happens.
"Wherever there's money you will get cheating whether it's football, cricket or pigeon racing.
"There's some big money in this game - it's big bucks.
"When your pigeon wins a race like this their value goes through the roof."
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He told how Kelly, 52, rang him on Thursday - as The Sun broke the story of his race fixing scandal - to congratulate him on the win.
Mr Locke added: "He apologised for not ringing sooner and sounded quite emotional.
"But he should be stripped of all of his titles and be forced to pay back his prize money and then banned for life.
"It's the only way to beat it.
"What he's done is like robbing from your own.
"It's crazy.
"I couldn't believe it when I heard the news.
"He seems a nice guy.
"He's done charity and he's not short of money.
"It must be ego."
The National Flying Club has already launched a probe into the scandal - described by sources as "the biggest to rock the sport".
The Royal Pigeon Racing Association, the sport's governing body, has also opened an investigation.
Kelly will face a disciplinary hearing next week and could be expelled from the sport for life.
The reigning champion devised a plan to retain his prized crown in the days before last weekend's race.
He registered 14 birds at his home - using specialist equipment given to him as a race controller - and then kept them in his loft.
He then sent another set of 14 pigeons out to France on a lorry with 2,200 other entrants.
As the second set flapped their way across the Channel he calculated a likely winning time and went back to the pigeons tucked away in his loft.
He picked one out and registered its 'return' using a microchipped tag on its body to swipe it home as the winner.
The victory saw him bag £1,500 in prize money and a brand new £10,000 Ford Fiesta.
But organisers of the race suspected fowl play - as the rest of the field were still miles behind his winner.
According to Kelly his "winning time" meant his pigeon had flown 580-miles from Tarbes to his Didcot loft at 40mph.
Kelly eventually confessed to cheating and resigned as race controller for the National Flying Club (NFC).
I, Eamon Kelly, sincerely apologise to all my friends and fanciers over my stupid actions relating to the recent Tarbes race
Kelly issues a grovelling apology to his fellow fanciers
In a statement posted online he said: "I, Eamon Kelly, sincerely apologise to all my friends and fanciers over my stupid actions relating to the recent Tarbes race.
"I was tempted and fell, a decision I will regret for the rest of my life.
"A sport that I love so much, that has given me untold pleasure and above all friendship I have thrown all away."
Kelly — who owns up to 350 pigeons including some from the Royal Loft, was trusted because of his experience and position within the NFC.
Last night, he told The Sun: "I'm still in the dark about what is going to happen.
"There's a meeting next week to decide.
"I could be barred for life but there's a procedure and you have to wait for that to happen."
Phil Curtis, chairman of the NFC, said: "We don't need this sort of thing happening in our sport.
"It just sours the whole event.
"It's not very good for the actual winners but the NFC will move on.
"There will be a full investigation and a disciplinary meeting will still be needed, despite Eamon's resignation."
Kelly, who became a pigeon fancier at the age of nine, won two NFC races in 2015, including the Tarbes and Ancenis.
He also won a £60,000 Mercedes during the Million Dollar Race in Sun City in South Africa.