AMIR Khan's trainer is angry after being frozen out of next month's Olympics.
Mike Jelley will not be allowed to coach Amir at the Athens Games - even though he has nurtured the Bolton boxer for the last six years.
Amir, aged 17, will be the only Great Britain fighter at the Games. And under Olympic rules, Britain have only been given accreditation for one coach because the team is so small.
That means that Terry Edwards, the British Olympic team's head coach, will be the only trainer allowed in Amir's corner when the lightweight boxer fights for a medal.
For security and safety reasons, the only other person in the British set-up allowed at ringside will be the Olympic squad's doctor or physio.
But Jelley, who is Amir's trainer at Bury Boxing Club, is furious that he has not been given the chance to share in his fighter's bid for glory.
Instead, the coach will have to make do with a seat in the crowd while Edwards takes charge of the Heaton boxer.
Jelley said: "He's my lad, and it's been all my hard work - but someone's come along and said 'I'm going to the ball'."
Amir was 11 when Jelley began coaching him. Under his tutelage, the 17-year-old has won gold at the Junior Olympics, and European and world junior championships.
Jelley said: "My 40 years of training lads from all ages and all different nationalities would have come to a climax on August 12 - the Olympic Games.
"But the person who's been looking after the kid, taking him everywhere in the world, doesn't get a piece of the cream cake.
"I want something at the end of the day. I don't want money, I just want to get into that corner.
"But Mr Edwards is going to be in the corner while I'm sitting 50 rows back - and I've been his coach for the last six years. All I'm doing now is answering telephones and talking to the press. I've not seen Amir for the last five weeks - my input has gone right out of it."
Jelley also criticised British boxing bosses for failing to develop enough young talent despite heavy National Lottery investment.
He said: "Five years ago, before the Lottery funding started, there'd be five people in the country looking after the English team.
"Now you've got 85 people, all on wages, while the person who's been looking after the kid, taking him everywhere in the world, doesn't get a look in.
"After the Olympics, I'm going to get a meeting with the Sports Minister and tell him what's going wrong with this sport, because there's a lot going wrong and there are a lot of people who feel like I do.
"Amir is our only boxer going to Athens, and it is time questions were asked as to why.
"All over the country, coaches are bringing lads through and then having them taken off them. It is clearly not working."
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