JONATHAN NOBLE
FIA
FIA member clubs and sport federations of the Americas have recommended that the governing body takes legal action against those who it believes slandered the organisation and its president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
Ben Sulayem was recently cleared of wrongdoing in an internal investigation over allegations of interference in two Formula 1 races last year.
Clearly designed to quell any talk of an internal move against Ben Sulayem in the short term, a letter signed by more than 30 representatives of FIA federations from the Americas has shown emphatic support for him. And there is a clear message that they are unhappy about recent allegations made against Ben Sulayem, who was investigated after a whistleblower suggested he had interfered with a stewards’ decision at last year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and also overstepped the mark in signing off the safety certificate of the Las Vegas GP.
In the letter, published on the FIA website, the clubs state that they “recommend that the FIA initiate legal action against those who, without cause, slander the FIA and its leadership”. This comes after the clubs felt that various reports of the situation surrounding Ben Sulayem were aimed at trying to hurt the FIA.
The clubs also stated: “Accusations of impropriety and unethical practices propagated by some members of the print and digital media were intended for the sole purpose of causing harm to the FIA and its leadership, particularly the President.
“We endo
