The ultimate yr of Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s time period is shaping as much as be extra turbulent than ever. With elections scheduled for 2025, the present president’s work is extraordinarily advanced, with many accusing him of getting failed conspicuously. Amongst them are some British media retailers, who’re formalizing an accusation in opposition to Mohammed Ben Sulayem that would end in authorized motion, worsening the FIA disaster.
The straw that broke the camel’s again could also be linked to the final WMSC assembly, the place key members had been excluded. Moreover, many media retailers have complained about his failure to satisfy electoral guarantees. David Richards, president of Motorsport UK, has introduced the potential for authorized motion in opposition to the FIA, denouncing an alleged “gag order” imposed on members to restrict transparency in inner discussions.
Richards and different officers, together with Vice President for Sport Robert Reid, had been excluded from the WMSC as a result of that they had not signed a brand new confidentiality settlement. In a letter addressed to Motorsport UK members, Richards expressed his dissatisfaction with the FIA’s administration underneath Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s management.
Earlier than his time period, David Richards supported Sulayem within the 2021 elections as a result of he had promised to be a non-interventionist president. Moreover, the present president had said that administration could be delegated to a reliable CEO and that governance could be clear. Nonetheless, David Richards declared the next:
“I remorse to say that over the previous three years, there was a transparent failure to uphold these guarantees. The state of affairs has even worsened. There are quite a few media reviews confirming that many senior FIA officers and volunteers have been dismissed or have resigned underneath unclear circumstances.”
He additionally denounced the restriction of autonomy for the Audit and Ethics Committees and the usage of digital voting to keep away from in-depth discussions inside the World Motor Sport Council. “Our British consultant,” David Richards continued, “who had raised some points, was eliminated together with the president of the Audit Committee. A number of methods have been adopted to restrict the traditional functioning of the World Motor Sport Council, notably the usage of digital voting, which prevents important discussions and debates on key points.”
The specter of authorized motion in opposition to the FIA and Mohammed Ben Sulayem
“Very disappointing,” Richards admitted, “to must report that we’ve but to obtain a response to those questions, nor to the elemental one I raised. The place within the FIA Statutes is it said that an elected member will be excluded from a gathering?”
With robust phrases and nearly a combative tone, David Richards has demanded that the FIA be held accountable for its actions. This can be a essential activity, because the election of a brand new president will happen this yr.
“Now we have knowledgeable the FIA that if it doesn’t reply to the problems we’ve raised, we’ll proceed with additional authorized motion. This yr, the FIA president will both be re-elected or changed. Now greater than ever, you will need to remind the FIA of its duties and to proceed demanding transparency and equity on behalf of the game and its members worldwide. That is what I intend to do.”
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