Athletics star Sir Mo Farah was last night accused of attacking a husband and wife at a training camp in Ethiopia.
The long-distance expert has been locked in an extraordinary row with legendary Ethiopian distance runner Haile Gebrselassie.
Gebrselassie said: “I am very, very sad. I loved this guy but he has tried to destroy my name.”
But Farah’s coach claims the Brit was the “victim”.
Gary Lough, husband of Paula Radcliffe, insists the London 2012 hero was innocent and attacked Gebrselassie’s version of events that took place at his hotel.
Lough was with Farah and his training partner Abi Bashir when the incident occurred and claimed the row started over the copying of Farah’s training plan.
He said: “I’m doing an exercise, I turn round and this guy comes over threateningly, as if he’s going to attack Bashir, and Mo tries to defend Bashir and hits the other guy.
“So, they’re grappling a little bit and the woman comes running and Mo turns round not knowing who it is and she got hit on the arm.
“She had two 5kg weights in her hands and was threatening to throw them at him. So I shout, ‘Put those things the f*** down or you’ll be in jail.’ Hotel security did nothing. She’s in the local police so she ran to them but we got the chief of the federal police involved.
“There were lengthy statements and police reports and Haile’s just relying on hearsay as he wasn’t there.”
Gebrselassie, though, claimed the incident started when Farah confronted the couple.
He added: “When he reacted to the two athletes in the gym and he kicked and punched, he was almost in police custody. But I talked to the police and said: ‘This is Mo Farah, he is a big athlete, he is an international name. Leave him.’
“The police said: ‘Haile, why are you saying like this? This is a criminal.’ I said: ‘Please, please please.’ He escaped the police without a case.
“He left Ethiopia without any questioning. And finally, he apologised for the attack: ‘OK, no problem, I was very angry, blah, blah, blah.’
“I have always taken care of him in different ways. But he treated us the wrong way.”
This latest incident followed claims from Farah that he had a watch, two phones and £2600 in cash stolen from his room at Gebrselassie’s Yaya Village Resort near Sululta on March 23.
