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Post by QPR Report on Sept 21, 2009 13:32:45 GMT
This is London - Flavio as he’s kicked out of F1 over Crashgate Matt Majendie Flavio Briatore could be forced out of Queens Park Rangers after he was handed an indefinite ban from motor sport today. The World Motor Sport Council suspended him from taking part in any FIA-sanctioned events for an unlimited period for his role in Crashgate when he plotted with former driver Nelson Piquet Jr to deliberately drive into a wall at last year's Singapore GP. The repercussions could spell the end of the flamboyant Italian's tenure at QPR. The Football League board will meet next month to discuss his role as chairman of the club's parent company, QPR Holdings, and it remains to be seen whether the 59-year-old will pass the Fit and Proper Person test.
Under current rules, nobody can be a director or hold a majority interest in a club if they are “subject to a ban from a sports governing body relating to the administration of their sport”.Briatore's stake in the Championship outfit could yet be bought by co-owner billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, the steel billionaire, who is reportedly said to be keen to buy Briatore's share. The FIA ruling will also end Briatore's lucrative management business of some of Formula One's leading drivers, among them Alonso, Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton's team-mate Heikki Kovalainen and, ironically, Piquet. Under the specifics of his ban, no drivers connected with Briatore will have the superlicence required to race in F1 renewed unless they end their association with him. Today's hearing, headed by FIA president Max Mosley and the World Motor Sport Council, took less than an hour to complete at the FIA's Paris headquarters as Renault opted not to contest the charges of having deliberately fixed last year's Singapore race. Briatore was not present at the hearing to give evidence having already resigned from his post as team principal, nor was technical director Pat Symonds, who also stepped down at the team last week and received a five-year ban by the FIA from any F1 involvement. Alonso, who insisted he had no knowledge of any wrongdoing in Singapore, was dramatically called before the WMSC to give evidence but was cleared of any wrongdoing himself. The FIA thanked the two-time world champion for “cooperating with enquiries and concludes that Mr Alonso was not in any way involved in Renault F1's breach of the regulations”. There had been speculation that Renault could face a fine running into tens of millions of pounds and even leading to them being excluded from the world championship altogether. But but the team escaped with a two-year suspended sentence, although there continued involvement in the sport from next season must now be in doubt. A statement by the FIA read: “The council considers Renault F1's breaches relating to the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to be of unparalleled severity. They not only compromised the integrity of the sport but also endangered the lives of spectators, officials, other competitors and Nelson Piquet Jr himself. “The WMSC considers that offences of this severity merit permanent disqualification from the FIA Formula One World Championship. However, in particular the steps taken by Renault F1 to identify and address failings within its team and condemn the actions of the individuals involved, the WMSC has decided to suspend Renault F1's disqualification until the end of the 2011 season. “Renault had confirmed that Mr Briatore and Mr Symonds were involved in the conspiracy and ensured that they left the team. It apologised unreservedly to the FIA and to the sport for the harm caused by its actions.” Piquet, who also gave evidence at the hearing, had already been given immunity by the FIA after admitting to his part in the race fixing. Meanwhile, Renault F1 president Bernard Rey, who was also called before the FIA in the French capital, apologised for his team's action in the scandal. He said: “We are very sad to find ourselves in front of the World Motor Sport Council today. By way of background, as a result of our own enquiries, we informed the FIA last week that we would not defend the charges and we accepted our responsibilities in relation to the incident in Singapore and we immediately took appropriate action inside the team. “Today we fully accept the decision of the council. We apologise unreservedly to the F1 community in relation to this unacceptable behaviour.” www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-sport/article-23746701-details/It+s+the+end+for+Flavio+as+he+s+kicked+out+of+F1+over+Crashgate/article.do |
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Post by londonranger on Sept 21, 2009 13:48:52 GMT
Could he resign?
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Post by QPR Report on Sept 21, 2009 13:58:58 GMT
AFP
Flamboyant F1 boss Briatore falls from graceAFP 21 September 2009, PARIS: With his blue-tinted shades, flowing grey hair and dapper dress sense Flavio Briatore - handed an unlimited ban from F1 on Monday for his role in 'crashgate' - had the air of an ageing rock star about him. Even by Formula One's glitzy standards the ebullient Italian, who had as many friends as he had enemies, was hard to miss as he strolled down the grid before races. The visual impact was mirrored by the huge influence he had on the sport in a career spanning two decades, but the love affair that came to a bumpy end in Paris on Monday. The man who oversaw four world drivers' titles, a brace apiece for Michael Schumacher at Benetton and Fernando Alonso at Renault, could never in his darkest moments have forseen such a shabby and ignominious conclusion to his time in F1. The unconventional Briatore's fall from grace was as sudden as it was unexpected. At this month's Italian Grand Prix he had cut a defiant figure as he announced criminal proceedings against former driver Nelson Piquet junior and the Brazilian's father, Nelson Piquet senior, a former world champion, for making false allegations and blackmail. At Monza Briatore held forth denying all the accusations against him, calling claims that he had conspired to get Piquet junior to crash at last year's Singapore Grand Prix "outrageous lies". Then last week Renault effectively held their hands up to the 'crime', saying they would not be contesting the allegations at Monday's FIA inquiry. That sensational statement was accompanied by the announcement that Briatore and Pat Symonds, Renault's director of engineering, had quit the team. And on Monday Briatore heard his fate - an "unlimited" ban from grand prix racing. This latest and most damaging trip to FIA headquarters was by no means the first time Briatore had been summoned to Paris' Place de la Concorde. He was associated with various controversies during the 1990s when Schumacher drove for the team, then owned and named Benetton. It was with the Italian fashion house that Briatore made much of his fortune as director of the firm's American operation, a fortune that has enabled him to purchase (in no particular order) a super yacht, a Mayfair restaurant, a mythic nightclub in Sardinia, a fashion label, and a pharmaceutical company. And it was with Benetton that he became immersed in F1 as first commercial and then managing director in the late 1980s. Success came quickly with Benetton driver Schumacher winning the 1994 and 1995 title and the team the '95 constructors' title. In its reincarnation as Renault, with Briatore's new prodigy Alonso at the wheel, the good times rolled back with the young Spaniard winning the championship in 2005 and 2006. An espionage scandal with McLaren in 2007 damaged the team even though they escaped punishment, but nothing like as seriosuly as 'crashgate'. Passionate and outspoken, Briatore was not afraid to raise his head over the parapet - when the F1 budget cap row was raging earlier in the season he threatened to withdraw his team unless FIA president Max Mosley dropped controversial plans. "....the image and the integrity of those who invest in Formula One would be degraded," the outspoken Italian said of Mosley's plans - ironic words given the nature of Briatore's downfall. Now that he has some spare time, Briatore will at least have the consolation of being able to attend more games at Loftus Road in his capacity as part-owner with Bernie Ecclestone - one of the men who helped decide his fate on Monday - of Queens Park Rangers. timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/racing/top-stories/Flamboyant-F1-boss-Briatore-falls-from-grace/articleshow/5038774.cms
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Post by cpr on Sept 21, 2009 14:02:59 GMT
Times of India stoically avoids mentioning Lakshmi Mittal. ;D
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Post by QPR Report on Sept 21, 2009 14:04:43 GMT
So for our web people: Who do they ask whether to put something on our site re this? Mr. Russell? Mr. Paladini? Mr. Briatore? (Or maybe Mr. Bhatia!)
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Post by Zamoraaaah on Sept 21, 2009 14:05:17 GMT
Great spot mate  |
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Post by funky on Sept 21, 2009 14:27:19 GMT
I'm shocked no big deal though hope he wins his appeal we need more people like him in sport makes the world a better place
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Post by QPR Report on Sept 21, 2009 14:31:58 GMT
I'd say if he wants to crash cars, then he should do his own driving!
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Post by funky on Sept 21, 2009 14:36:55 GMT
Piquet would of crashed anyway the guys a poor driver.
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Post by klr on Sept 21, 2009 14:48:55 GMT
Thank God he's on his way out of QPR, a truly disgusting individual.
And it will be a truly great day for QPR when he takes his odious & divisive little henchman with him.
"The Italian Way" of doing business translated in to English = corruption.
Our club is better than these people, Thank God for Lakshmi & Amit, I will be there to welcome them for their first official match ;D ;D ;D
That will be a truly beautiful day for Queens Park Rangers football club.
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obk
Dave Sexton
Posts: 1,516
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Post by obk on Sept 21, 2009 14:59:11 GMT
Being found guilty by FIA I hope they turn this to a civilan court. The accusations are, in my opinion, severe enough for this. I want everything good for our club, but you just can't having people risking others life like this going around free!
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Post by londonranger on Sept 21, 2009 15:40:56 GMT
So how and when would we know if and when the FA gets involved. Anyone out there have any bits about previous chairmen?
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Post by londonranger on Sept 21, 2009 16:26:35 GMT
Fa meets next month todays Standard.
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Post by QPR Report on Sept 21, 2009 17:19:28 GMT
Guardian's Sports Writer Maurice Hamilton
Renault are lucky to get away with suspended banBy failing to punish Renault more severely, the FIA appear to be suggesting that safety is less important than telling the truth Renault can consider themselves extremely fortunate to have got away with a suspended ban for deliberately causing the crash at last year's Singapore grand prix that shocked Formula One, never mind the world at large, from top to bottom.The FIA World Motor Sport Council considered the breaches relating to the race "to be of unparalleled severity". Considering that the governing body campaigns strongly and successfully for safety in the sport, this is a curious decision, one that has been predicated on the fact that neither the parent company nor the team, Renault F1, had a moral responsibility for what happened when Nelson Piquet Jr was told to crash his car. On the one hand, a ban is the highest form of punishment available. But to suspend it is to give Renault a slap on the wrist and send them to bed early. By banning Flavio Briatore indefinitely, the FIA has made it clear the former Renault team principal is the villain along with, to a lesser degree, Pat Symonds, the chief engineer who was banned for five years. Nonetheless, it is surprising that Renault did not at least receive a fine for compromising the already battered integrity of F1. McLaren were handed what now appears an even more absurd $100m (£62m) penalty for their involvement in the Ferrari "Spygate" scandal in 2007. The difference seems to be that McLaren did not admit to wrongdoing whereas Renault eventually declared their guilt and fired the two architects of the dishonourable act. The FIA's message would therefore appear to be that truth is worth $100m whereas forfeiting safety attracts a lower tariff, an unfortunate and surely erroneous message given the governing body's outstanding work in reducing the hazards associated with an inherently dangerous business. McLaren were also stripped of their points in the 2007 constructors' championship. Renault were spared the indignity of forfeiting points earned last year and possibly having to pay back the $50m that came with finishing fourth in the series, penalties that might have hastened a departure from the sport, something the Renault board has been reviewing constantly during the past 18 months. By quitting, Renault would also jeopardise their contracts as engine suppliers, currently with Red Bull and, possibly for 2010, Williams. As if to underline the importance of contrition, the WMSC says it "had regard not only to the severity of the breach in which Mr Briatore was complicit but also to his actions in continuing to deny his participation in the breach despite all the evidence". Apart from drivers, individuals in F1 do not hold licences but the FIA has dealt with that in Briatore's case by threatening to sanction any club, association or individual that might deal with him in the future.The ban has crushed Briatore completely by affecting his involvement not only with F1 but also GP2 and his management contracts with drivers such as Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber and Heikki Kovalainen. How this affects Briatore's association with Queens Park Rangers is for others to decide.While the sentence handed down to Renault is almost of no consequence, the punishment delivered to Briatore – and, to a lesser degree, Symonds – is a strong message to others in positions of tactical influence within the sport.Quite where this leaves Nelson Piquet Jr is difficult to say. The Brazilian's management contract with Briatore exposed the dilemma faced by a young driver whose talent did not appear sufficient to avoid accepting instructions to crash as a means of ensuring future employment. Had Piquet not spoken out, the matter would never have arisen and the majority in the F1 world, despite commenting at the time on the fortunate coincidence of the crash, would have gone on believing that such a thing could never have been engineered deliberately. www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/sep/21/renault-fia-ban
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Post by QPR Report on Sept 21, 2009 17:23:52 GMT
BBC - Football League looks at Briatore The Football League has asked Formula 1's governing body the FIA for more details of Flavio Briatore's ban. The Queens Park Rangers co-owner and ex-Renault team boss has been suspended indefinitely from FIA-sanctioned events over the F1 race-fixing scandal. According to Football League rules, nobody can be a director or hold a majority interest in a club if they are banned from a sport's governing body. The league said it will consider its position once the FIA has replied. The 59-year-old Italian left his post as Renault team principal last week, along with executive director of engineering Pat Symonds, after the team decided not to contest FIA charges of fixing the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. The charges were brought after Nelson Piquet Jr claimed he had been asked to crash in order to help team-mate Fernando Alonso. At a World Motor Sport Council hearing on Monday, Briatore was banned with the FIA adding that it would not grant a licence to any team he was involved with or renew an F1 Superlicence granted to any driver associated with him. Briatore is co-owner of QPR along with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal. He is also chairman of the holding company that owns the club and a director on the board of the Championship side. The Loftus Road club have refused to comment on the FIA's findings. news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/q/qpr/8260661.stm
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Post by londonranger on Sept 21, 2009 17:33:44 GMT
Read most of the FA rules on discipline and there are some other areas where he may be vulnerable. Go read yourself if you want to and quite voluminous, but being a discredit to game as a whole and activities outside football such as this etc but no doubt in my mind there will be sanction suspension and or ban, could be time or date related or longer. Sudpect it may take them a while to decide. About 5 on the Board as I remember but dont trust that, but the President is an avowed Spurs fan which may help him since we have some spurs fledglings. (ho ho ho ). will the team be penalised?. did not see anything that would point to that but one never knows?
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Post by QPR Report on Sept 21, 2009 19:11:11 GMT
The Times Times Online September 21, 2009
Flavio Briatore faces uncertainty over QPR roleRobert Dineen
Flavio Briatore could find his position as chairman Queens Park Rangers is in jeopardy after the Football League revealed it has requested details of the FIA's findings on the 'Crashgate' scandal. Formula One's ruling body today banned Renault's disgraced former team principal from having any involvement in the sport as punishment for his role in ordering Nelson Piquet Jr to crash during last year's Singapore Grand Prix. The FIA also gave Renault a two-year suspended ban from the sport. With the Football League requiring every club owner to qualify as a "fit and proper person", its chairman Lord Mawhinney, has written to the FIA to "request further details of its decision" on 'Crashgate'. Releasing the news in a statement, it added that “thereafter, the League will consider its position on the matter". Briatore could also find that the Football League invokes a rule that makes anyone who is banned by another sporting governing body liable to be disqualified from owning a football club. Today's ruling could also affect Bernie Ecclestone's continued involvement with the Coca-Cola Championship club, which he took over with Briatore two years ago. Some QPR fans have already passed judgment on Briatore and called for the resignation of the flamboyant millionaire, who took over the club at a cost of £25 million. A spokesman for Independent Rs, the supporters’ group, said: “This piece of unsporting behaviour has put QPR in the headlines again for the wrong reasons. There has been talk that the Mittal family would be interested in taking on Flavio Briatore's stake and we now believe it is the right time for him to move on.” The Football League brought in a fit and proper persons test in 2004 as part of a general attempt to clean up the game and to ensure that people convicted of a serious offence could not become directors of clubs. www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/football_league/article6843329.ece |
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