Ben Sulayem's FIA under threat of legal action: 'Unkept promises'
F1 News
It's been troubled times within the FIA as of late. With its President Mohammed Ben Sulayem and his administration of the motorsport governing body being brought into question time and time again, now Dave Richards CBE, Chair of Motorsport UK, member of the World Motor Sport Council, has issued a strong letter to the members of the British organization denouncing the FIA's actions and even threatens to use legal action against the governing body.
Amid recent rumours regarding several FIA officials being banned from attenting a World Motor Sport Council meeting after refusing to sign an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement), now Richards claims this in fact was the case in a letter sent to members of Motorsport UK. "The final straw for me, three weeks ago, was being asked to sign a new confidentiality agreement that I regarded as a 'gagging order,'" said the letter.
Adding that he had already signed a confidentiality agreement and already being bound by Article 4 of the FIA Code of Ethics, the issue was the reach of the new NDA, which was only presented with a week's notice under that if the document went unsigned he would be denied entrance to the following World Motor Sport Council meeting. What were Richards' objections to the new agreement?
- "Everything was now considered confidential, without any qualification, preventing me from necessarily sharing what I considered to be relevant information."
- "The FIA at its own discretion, could decide if anyone breached the terms of the new confidentiality agreement with no process of reference."
- "There was an immediate fine of €50,000 for any breach and a threat of undisclosed damages."
Mentioning that the the stated agreement does not comply with the Statutes of the FIA, Richards also highlights that it poses a contradiction to the promise of transparent governance "we had voted for" when electing Ben Sulayem as President.
The FIA's lack of clarity, broken promises and a threat of legal action
Remembering when Motorsport UK and the Royal Automobile Club gave Ben Sulayem their vote ahead of the FIA Presidency election in 2021, Richards highlights the Middle Eastern's "well thought out plans" which seemed to mirror the views of the British organizations on how the FIA "should transform itself." Listing the key messages in Ben Sulayem's campaign team's presentation, the letter reads:
- "A hands-off President who would be non-executive and delegate the day-to-day running of the FIA to a professional executive-team.
- "The appointment of an empowered and capable CEO to run the FIA to professional standards."
- "Full transparency of actions and the highest standards of sporting governance."
Richards then issues stern judgment after the little over three years Ben Sulayem has been at the helm of the FIA: "I'm afraid that over the last three years there has been a distinct failure to meet these promises." After denouncing the FIA senior members and volunteer officials that have been fired or resigned, Motorsport UK's Chair outlines that "the scope of the Audit and Ethics Committees has been severely limited", claiming it lacks autonomy from the authority of Ben Sulayem.
"Our Motorsport UK lawyers, along with out French Legal Counsel, have challenged the FIA on their actions by setting out a clear set of questions that the FIA leadership needs to answer." However as the GPDA's November 2024 statement and WoRDA's February communication Richards and the Motorsport UK are yet to receive any answer whatsoever.
Richards does acknowledge, however, that "over the past three years the media does seem to have gained sensitive information from within the FIA," before citing integrity as a Motorsport UK "core value" and claiming to be compliant with a "gold-standard level of transparency, accountability and integrity in sports governace. He then sends a stern warning to the FIA:
"It's therefore beholden on us to demand the same values of our governing body, the FIA. The actions by the FIA are in breach of their own Statutes. As a result we have informed the FIA that unless they address the issues we've raised, we will be engaging in further legal action.
"In a year when the President will either be re-elected or a new one appointed, it is more important than ever to remind the FIA of their responsibilites and continue to hold them to account on behalf of the sport and their members worldwide, and that's what I intend to do," the letter concludes.
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