BLACKBURN'S Carl Fogarty was sixth-placed in the Sports Personality of the Year award.

The world superbike champion was told after the show that, if six lines had been available, he would have been included in the telephone vote along with Lennox Lewis, David Beckham, Colin Jackson, Colin Montgomerie and Stephen Hendry.

And interviewer John Inverdale suggested Fogarty would have a better chance if he won a fifth world title next year - when the BBC will cover superbikes!

Fogarty said: "Generally I don't bother about awards but, because everybody has been going on about it, I came down expecting something. And what John Inverdale said indicated that the BBC had felt the pressure of my support.

"It was definitely fixed, the top three were not that shocked. It was all a bit two-faced and snide. But I couldn't argue with the five other guys."

But Fogarty made his point, suggesting that he had more fans than Team of the Year, Manchester United.

And he was also moved by the presence of Muhammed Ali. Fogarty addded: "I felt very sorry for him. I didn't like to see him like that after seeing the clips of when he was younger."

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