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The triumvirate of time-worn tsars of sport consists of Juan Antonio Samaranch, Joao Havelange and Primo Nebiolo, in descending order of importance.

 As heads of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the international football federation (FIFA) and the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) respectively, they have a lot in common.

 Throughout their time at the top they have leaned heavily towards autocracy, turned round the world bodies from leaky loss-making concerns to water-tight multi-million dollar enterprises, garnered honorary titles by the chest-full and resisted attempts to kick them off their thrones.

 But there is one radical difference between Samaranch, Havelange and Nebiolo.

 While the IOC and FIFA chiefs are the ultimate diplomats, rarely cause a ripple of controversy and have gained respect, albeit grudging, Nebiolo's shoot-from-the-hip style has won him few friends outside his native Italy.

 He is an aggro-merchant who rules athletics in Castro-esque fashion and, such is his power, is as firmly entrenched as the Cuban leader.

 Before the recent athletics World Championships, he took unilateral action to prevent the event flopping like Fosbury.

 He decreed that previous winners should qualify automatically - similar to what happens in golf's British Open - and as a result the likes of Michael Johnson were able to strut their stuff in Athens.

 He was also the chief mover behind offering a car and cash prizes to gold medal winners in the World Championships which previously followed the 'do it for the glory' path of the Olympics.

 While these initiatives undoubtedly helped save the world championships, it was the way they were implemented by Nebiolo that raised eyebrows within sports circles.

 Nebiolo is also adept at switching hats to suit the occasion, a trick that he was up to during and after the Athens event.

 He is a staunch supporter of Rome's bid to stage the 2004 Olympics and, as a result, takes a very anti-Athens stance. His naughtiness included a rent-a-quote that the Greeks would have fouled-up the organisation of the World Championships if the IAAF had not taken a hands-on role.

 Gleefully, he told anybody that wanted to listen that Greece was too unstable to host the Olympic Games and when foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos rounded on him, he started to play word games.

 'Made by that minister, the statements did not shock me. I knew he had his problems and that therefore a declaration would serve him politically,' Nebiolo sniped. 'I thought that it was a good opportunity for him to put himself back in the limelight and be the defender of Greek interests.'  Nebiolo's nose was severely twisted out of joint when three world marks were beaten the week after the World Championships, which boasted no new records, finished.

 And it would be apt if Athens, Buenos Aires, Cape Town or Stockholm get the Olympic nod next month following his unethical lobbying for Rome.



Nebiolo the odd man out in triumvirate of time-worn tsars