Post by QPR Report on Jan 6, 2010 19:17:50 GMT
The Football League has said it is waiting for "formal clarification of the court's decision" before considering the implications for Briatore's position as co‑owner of Queens Park Rangers.
Guardian
FIA considers fresh disciplinary case to restore Flavio Briatore ban• FIA may review entire Crashgate scandal
• Briatore could sue Piquets, Kovalainen and Di Grassi
World motorsport's governing body may launch a fresh disciplinary process against Flavio Briatore in an attempt to prevent the former Renault team principal from returning to Formula One.
The FIA is considering the move, which would force it to review the entire Crashgate scandal from scratch, as an option in the wake of a French court's annulment of Briatore's lifetime ban for his part in ordering Nelson Piquet Jr to drive into a wall during the 2008 Singapore grand prix. It is also likely to appeal against the verdict in the French courts.
In a further sign that the saga, which many in the sport believed had been brought to a conclusion last year by the decision to ban Briatore and the then Renault technical director Pat Symonds, may have a long way to run the triumphant Italian has said that he is also considering legal action against Piquet.
Briatore said he would "very probably" sue Piquet, who launched an emotional attack on his former manager and team principal in the wake of the original World Motor Sport Council verdict last September, saying he drove him "to the lowest point I had ever reached in my life".
Briatore also said he would consider suing Heikki Kovalainen and Lucas Di Grassi, the other drivers he managed who parted company with him in the wake of the FIA's decision. "Apart from Heikki Kovalainen and Lucas Di Grassi, my relationship with the other drivers has never changed," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "Now we will look at the situation with lawyers to see if we can take legal action against those who have broken contracts with us."
Asked if he would take action against Piquet and his father, he said: "That's very likely. The bad that has been done to me won't be forgotten in one day."
Briatore had previously threatened the Piquets with legal action in the wake of their initial claims that he had played a key role in ordering the Brazilian driver to crash in order to benefit his team-mate Fernando Alonso. But after he was forced to quit Renault over the allegations, the threat was not repeated.
The French court ruled that the FIA's decision was "irregular" because it had no jurisdiction over Briatore and Symonds, who had his own five-year ban overturned. The French court also said the long-standing enmity between Max Mosley – the then FIA president – and the Renault team principal meant the process was not guaranteed to be impartial.
It also criticised the FIA for only letting Briatore know about the Monday hearing on the previous Friday, via an email that did not give him details of the proceedings or the precise charges against him.
The FIA believes that because the court ruled against the process but did not consider the decision that resulted, it stands a good chance of being able to find a way of ensuring that Briatore and Symonds cannot return to the sport, whether through a fresh disciplinary process under a redrawn rulebook or a legal appeal.
The FIA's rules will almost certainly be redrawn in any eventuality in an effort to make explicit its jurisdiction over anyone involved with the sport in any capacity.
Jean Todt, the new FIA president who was Mosley's preferred choice to replace him, promised during his election campaign to review the organisation's governance arrangements and set up an independent disciplinary panel.
The Football League has said it is waiting for "formal clarification of the court's decision" before considering the implications for Briatore's position as co‑owner of Queens Park Rangers.
Its rules state that anyone banned by another sports governing body is forbidden from being a director or holding a majority stake in a club under its fit and proper person test. Yesterday's verdict appears to remove that threat, but the Football League is likely to wait to act until the appeals process has been exhausted before its board considers the matter again.
www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/jan/06/fia-flavio-briatore-crashgate
Guardian
FIA considers fresh disciplinary case to restore Flavio Briatore ban• FIA may review entire Crashgate scandal
• Briatore could sue Piquets, Kovalainen and Di Grassi
World motorsport's governing body may launch a fresh disciplinary process against Flavio Briatore in an attempt to prevent the former Renault team principal from returning to Formula One.
The FIA is considering the move, which would force it to review the entire Crashgate scandal from scratch, as an option in the wake of a French court's annulment of Briatore's lifetime ban for his part in ordering Nelson Piquet Jr to drive into a wall during the 2008 Singapore grand prix. It is also likely to appeal against the verdict in the French courts.
In a further sign that the saga, which many in the sport believed had been brought to a conclusion last year by the decision to ban Briatore and the then Renault technical director Pat Symonds, may have a long way to run the triumphant Italian has said that he is also considering legal action against Piquet.
Briatore said he would "very probably" sue Piquet, who launched an emotional attack on his former manager and team principal in the wake of the original World Motor Sport Council verdict last September, saying he drove him "to the lowest point I had ever reached in my life".
Briatore also said he would consider suing Heikki Kovalainen and Lucas Di Grassi, the other drivers he managed who parted company with him in the wake of the FIA's decision. "Apart from Heikki Kovalainen and Lucas Di Grassi, my relationship with the other drivers has never changed," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "Now we will look at the situation with lawyers to see if we can take legal action against those who have broken contracts with us."
Asked if he would take action against Piquet and his father, he said: "That's very likely. The bad that has been done to me won't be forgotten in one day."
Briatore had previously threatened the Piquets with legal action in the wake of their initial claims that he had played a key role in ordering the Brazilian driver to crash in order to benefit his team-mate Fernando Alonso. But after he was forced to quit Renault over the allegations, the threat was not repeated.
The French court ruled that the FIA's decision was "irregular" because it had no jurisdiction over Briatore and Symonds, who had his own five-year ban overturned. The French court also said the long-standing enmity between Max Mosley – the then FIA president – and the Renault team principal meant the process was not guaranteed to be impartial.
It also criticised the FIA for only letting Briatore know about the Monday hearing on the previous Friday, via an email that did not give him details of the proceedings or the precise charges against him.
The FIA believes that because the court ruled against the process but did not consider the decision that resulted, it stands a good chance of being able to find a way of ensuring that Briatore and Symonds cannot return to the sport, whether through a fresh disciplinary process under a redrawn rulebook or a legal appeal.
The FIA's rules will almost certainly be redrawn in any eventuality in an effort to make explicit its jurisdiction over anyone involved with the sport in any capacity.
Jean Todt, the new FIA president who was Mosley's preferred choice to replace him, promised during his election campaign to review the organisation's governance arrangements and set up an independent disciplinary panel.
The Football League has said it is waiting for "formal clarification of the court's decision" before considering the implications for Briatore's position as co‑owner of Queens Park Rangers.
Its rules state that anyone banned by another sports governing body is forbidden from being a director or holding a majority stake in a club under its fit and proper person test. Yesterday's verdict appears to remove that threat, but the Football League is likely to wait to act until the appeals process has been exhausted before its board considers the matter again.
www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/jan/06/fia-flavio-briatore-crashgate
