WHETHER or not Bryan Robson survives as the Boro boss does not amount to a hill of beans compared with the new crisis facing sport in general.

It is predicted that gene therapy, or genetic engineering, will be used within five years to boost performances. It has already been shown that a gene taken from a fly, modified and reinserted, increased the strength of the fly's flight muscles by 300 per cent.

Quite apart from the fear that some maniac might unleash a plague of flies capable of outpacing Concorde, we have to ask do we want major sporting events dominated by genetically enhanced athletes?

The answer must be no. Sport has already seen much of its traditional appeal tarnished as the age of innocence has given way to drugs, greed, match-fixing and various other ills. The danger of taking the greatest leap yet down that road simply threatens to render sport utterly meaningless.

It raises the prospect of someone like Michael Jackson, who appears to like tampering with his body, winning the Olympic marathon.

On the credit side, we might suddenly have a team of England footballers capable of kicking with their left foot, or cricketers who can bowl leg breaks. But would there be any pleasure in watching teams of cloned gladiators competing against each other?

As has been proved by the drugs issue over the last 20 years, there are plenty of unscrupulous people who will try to find a way round any ban.

This was highlighted at a conference in Copenhagen last week. The Italian Olympic Committee apparently had to be pressurised into allowing their head of research, Professor Alessandro Donati, to speak, mirroring the obstacles he has come up against in 15 years of fighting drug abuse.

He produced evidence in 1994 that professional cycling was riddled with peddlers, yet the drug problem was covered up until the police raids on the 1998 Tour de France.

Donati's most recent work was to have Italy's Olympic contestants tested for Human Growth Hormone prior to leaving for Sydney. Sixty-one out of 538 had suspiciously high levels and five of them won gold medals.

This is an enormous shame because Sydney rekindled the Olympics, partly because rigorous drug testing seemed to have pushed cheating into the background.

Now an even greater threat has emerged and we can only hope that what has been learned from 20 years of fighting drug abuse can be of some use in combating gene therapy.

JUST to prove that these issues never really go away, the case has come to court this week in which Diane Modahl is suing the British Athletic Federation for £1m, six years after they suspended her.

Few athletes have protested their innocence as vehemently as Modahl and fighting her actions has already pushed the BAF into administration, to be succeeded by UK Athletics.

The four-year ban was lifted after nine months by the International Amateur Athletic Federation after doubts were cast on the accuracy of the tests, which had pointed to enormously high levels of testosterone.

Modahl is now suing on the grounds of alleged bias during the disciplinary proceedings. Considering that the first witness called in her defence was Linford Christie, I don't fancy her chances.

IN truth, how will we ever be sure of the truth in such cases? It's a similar story with Alec Stewart, but there was no need for ECB chief executive Tim Lamb to admit as much.

Only a few days after his boss at the ECB, Lord MacLaurin, had supported Stewart's denial of accepting money from an Indian bookie, Lamb said he had no idea whether Stewart was telling the truth or not.

It was an ill-timed and thoroughly unhelpful observation when the player was trying to help England win a Test match.

ANOTHER former England cricket captain with an additional worry to contend with is Michael Atherton.

Either he or a representative is due in a Pakistan court on December 7 as he is being sued for £150,000 by a local journalist he referred to as a "buffoon".

This was at a Press conference after England's World Cup defeat by South Africa at Rawalpindi in 1996, and the journalist claims the remark has ruined his life. His fiancee even broke off their engagement because she did not want to be married to a "buffoon."

Somehow I think Atherton will be taking the field for the start of the third Test on December 7. He might reflect that he was once accused of having dirt in his pocket and wonder just how much lines the pockets of lawyers kept rich by buffoons and athletes