Manchester can still get in on Olympic act

Inside Lines

Dateline: Manchester

So far, so good. It hasn't rained – well only an occasional light drizzle – the buses are running on time, no one has been mugged on Moss Side and the sport itself has got off to a cracking start. Manchester clearly has made an Olympian effort to make the Commonwealth Games the face-saver British sport needed, and already they are talking up the possibility of trying yet again for the biggie, the Olympic Games. Manchester tried twice before, of course, and was left on the starting blocks behind Atlanta and Sydney. They know here that there is no chance of going it alone again, so the theory is that, if all continues to go well, they might float the idea of a joint bid with London for 2012. Manchester has the facilities, or some of them, and London has the muscle and charisma. So the argument goes. Alas, it is a non-starter. Simon Clegg, chief executive of the British Olympic Association, points out that, unlike Fifa, the IOC are not into double acts, and their president, Jacques Rogge, has stated categorically that London is the only viable UK contender. No decision will be made about a London bid until these Games are concluded, but what Rogge and other IOC bigwigs have seen won't have done the capital's cause any harm. Manchester has shown already that British sport can get its act together. It's the politicians who are the problem. But this city could still be part of the Olympic action. Under IOC rules the football tournament could be played both at Old Trafford and the soon-to-be Manchester City ground that is these Games' athletics venue. And the SportCity sites would be a perfect training base for Olympic competitors.

How Jairzinho could help United's cause

A chap whose name has a bit of Brazilian brio about it dropped in on Manchester this week. Rio? Yes he was there but so, briefly, was a somewhat older boy who really is from Brazil. Jairzinho memorably scored in every game of the World Cup in 1970, almost a decade before Manchester United's £35million capture was born. These past few days he has been teaching British youngsters the Brazilian way of football on behalf of Futebol de Salao, the Leeds-based organisation which runs a network of "Samba" football schools throughout the country. Alas, Jairzinho, now 57, didn't have time to chat to Ferdinand, or Fergie, because of his schedule but he tells us he is impressed with the quality he has seen in some young footballers here. Jairzinho, who coaches the Brazilian First Division side Mesquista, says: "Your British kids have such a good physical game but they need to do more with the ball. If we could combine their skills with ours it would be brilliant." Which is why Sir Alex is looking for a Brazilian coach for his youngsters. The Futebol de Salao people have Jairzinho's number.

Apparent absence of royal approval

As chairman of Manchester 2002, the Granada boss Charles Allen is the man responsible for the bottom lines of the Games so his apparent placing of a guiding hand on the Royal posterior is rather touching (although he denies he did make contact). But it wasn't a possible breach of protocol that has caused angst. More the expression on the Queen's face throughout the opening ceremony. "Why couldn't she have cracked a smile?'' asked one senior figure. "Or at least had a friendly word with little Kirsty Howard as she took the baton." The trouble is HM never seems comfortable at a sports occasion unless it features four legs and a whinny. That – and David Beckham's tacky touting of his sponsor's logo – have been the only real dampeners on Manchester's parade.

They held a conference of Commonwealth sports ministers here last week chaired by Richard Caborn, but when the subject of drugs was inevitably raised it brought a wry smile from the man from Malawi. "The only positive tests we are worried about are those for Aids," said Moses Dossi. "The disease is ravaging our country and threatening our sport."

Dossi, a 48-year-old former sprinter, believes both Aids and famine are a threat to the participation in future Games of several African nations. "We are deeply concerned for the development of our young sports people," he says. "Just before I left one footballer, aged 16, came to me and said he was HIV positive. What do you say?" Malawi have 23 competitors here, including swimmers who have no pool so splash around Lake Malawi, 350 miles long. They also have a football team here sponsored by the FA's International Development Programme, on a three-match tour. "We give sport a higher priority in Malawi," says Dossi, "but we are facing serious problems. They talk here about steroids and EPO but our people haven't heard of them. We can't even get the drugs we need to fight Aids."

Steve Redgrave hasn't been alone in banging the drum for Manchester. Sport England have been doing that plus some trumpet blowing of their own.

They haven't stopped telling us that it's thanks to their investment of £165m of Lottery cash that the city now has splendid sports facilities that will serve Mancunians well for generations to come. One senses, though, the numerous media moves are designed to waft away the opprobrium over the W word. However, Sport England's aggressive stance on issues like playing fields and tax levies on sports clubs may not altogether please their government paymasters who are still mulling over how much they should give sport, via Sport England, from the Exchequer.

insidelines@independent.co.uk

Exit Lines

The thing about Bernie is that he can ring up prime ministers and ask for government support to influence the IOC vote. Ron Walker, chairman of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games, suggests London should get Bernie Ecclestone to head their Olympic bid... No idea, I've never seen one. BBC's Games athletics pundit Michael Johnson, asked his thoughts about the 10,000m... The best thing about the place is in the rear-view mirror as you head for the M6. Australian radio broadcaster Frank Vardanegan obviously doesn't think much of Manchester.