14/10/2009
NEWS STORY
With just over a week before the election for the next FIA president, Jean Todt has accused his rival Ari Vatanen of running a "negative" campaign.
In a statement issued to the membership of the FIA, the Frenchman writes: "In our campaign we have emphasised teamwork and the need for the mobility and motor sport pillars to work together. In contrast, the negative tone of our opponent's campaign risks undermining the unity of the FIA.
"Our team recognises that there is far more that unites than divides the clubs of the FIA," he adds. "Early in the campaign we expressed the hope it would remain dignified and focused on the real issues. We have acted accordingly, but unfortunately, false allegations have been made against us by other parties. We regret this and will not be part of a process that can only reflect badly on our activities, our sport and the mobility world in general."
A number of things spring to mind when reading Todt's statement.
Firstly, if Vatanen is destined to "lose and lose badly", as has been suggested elsewhere, and Todt is safe in the knowledge that, "a large majority of clubs in Africa, Asia, Latin America, in Europe and in the Middle East" are in his favour, not to mention all those 'celebrities' such as Bernie Ecclestone and Michael Schumacher, why the need for this statement, surely the election is a mere formality.
Secondly, having read the statement several times no mention can be found of some of the comments made by his most fervent supporter, current incumbent Max Mosley, or indeed his recent letter to Prince Feisal of Jordan. In that letter, Mosley not only predicted that Vatanen would "lose badly" but also appeared to threaten those member clubs that voted for the Finn to "expect repercussions".
Despite what Todt and his team claim to be overwhelming support, not to mention the negativity of Vatanen's campaign, it would appear the Frenchman and crew are not as entirely confident as they would have us believe.
As we have said before, the election process is anonymous, therefore it is not impossible that many who have publicly pledged to support Todt will switch to Vatanen once they are confident that there will be no "repercussions".