Andre Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

MOSCOW, Russia:

MVP Track Club head coach and founder, Stephen Francis, has made it clear that embattled sprinters Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson have lost his trust and will not be allowed to return to the club unless they sever all ties with agent Paul Doyle, "among others".

Long-time club members, Powell and Simpson, both tested positive for the banned stimulant Oxilofrine at the national championships in June, blaming the consumption of a new supplement. Francis minced no words as he blamed the pair for what he described as a cloud of doubt surrounding the club.

Francis, who also stated that he had cut off all communication with the athletes, believes that Doyle, who manages both sprinters, is largely responsible for the results.

"Well, now I have no contact with them because I told them that they have to promise and decide to do things our way if I was going to have any further dealings with them because they really embarrassed us, embarrassed me, and they were warned," Francis said.

"So far, they have not decided to do it our way, so they are on their own, and we can no longer trust them to do things the way we recommend, so that's the situation right now," Francis added.

Dealings

"I have not heard anything from them and I assume that they are associated with the same people that caused all this, and as long as they associate themselves with those people, I personally will not have any dealings with them as far as athletics is concerned."

"So as far as I am concerned with Asafa and Sherone, that's the situation. If they are not prepared to do it my way, then I will no longer have any part with them," he added, before insisting that he had no choice but to take that position.

"Throw under the bus? They walked under the bus. We have enough rules set up in MVP to prevent this sort of thing from happening," said Francis. "I would be very stupid to continue. It's now the opinion of a lot of persons that MVP is now doing drugs, and their problems have caused a lot of problems for a lot of people. They were very selfish in their behaviour," Francis said.

Powell and Simpson were among five Jamaicans that tested positive at the National Senior Championships. Both are expected to face a hearing in the coming week, after the results of their 'B' samples are known.

Tara Playfair, publicist for Powell, said that the athlete would not comment on the matter at this point.