Team
Alinghi to dismiss Russell Coutts
Geneva, 26th
July 2004 - Team Alinghi is left with no choice but to terminate
its contract with Russell Coutts. Repeated violations of his duties
resulted in Coutts's dismissal.
Russell Coutts
specifically refused to helm Alinghi in Newport, United States,
whereas he was requested to do so. He also decided not to sail
with Team Alinghi crew at recent regattas, namely in Marstrand,
Sweden, Trieste, Italy and in Lisbon, Portugal, where the regattas
are about to commence. This constitutes a clear violation of his
employment contract. Furthermore, in various press statements
made early July, he declared that he was no longer part of the
Alinghi Team.
Also particularly
damaging was regarded Russell Coutts's undisclosed involvement
in the planning and development of a new race series, a commitment
incompatible with his responsibilities and duties. In his capacity
as a member of the board of Alinghi Holdings, Russell Coutts manoeuvred
himself into an inextricable conflict of interest.
As a result,
Alinghi had no recourse but to terminate its cooperation with
Russell Coutts, effective immediately.
Ernesto Bertarelli,
leader of the Team Alinghi, has expressed his regret and disappointment
that given the facts it is no longer possible to cooperate with
Russell Coutts. He further points out that he will continue to
do whatever is necessary to protect Team Alinghi and to secure
the attraction and uniqueness of the America's Cup.
(TEAM ALINGHI)
Russell
Coutts Response
Auckland, New Zealand (JULY 26, 2005)
"I was
surprised to receive a brief phone call from Ernesto Bertarelli's
lawyers this evening which was apparently immediately followed
by a media release issued by Mr Bertarelli's staff. The facts
are that some time ago I had made it very clear to Ernesto Bertarelli
that I had some very real concerns about aspects of his management
style and the direction of the team. These concerns were based
on my experience as a skipper and in a leadership role in my last
three America's Cup campaigns. They centred on aspects of management
that I had found in my own leadership experience to be successful.
In the course
of working with him, I was surprised that Ernesto Bertarelli repeatedly
made it clear he wanted to depart from our previously agreed commitments.
Most seriously, I was concerned at the impact of this management
style not just on my contract, but on the wider America's Cup
event. I found the role he increasingly insisted I occupy in the
syndicate was at considerable variance with the one we had discussed,
at length, during and since the last America's Cup campaign. This
and other issues were clear breaches of the contract I had entered
into with him.
In an attempt
to address these issues we entered into formal mediation and have
been in mediation for some time, a process I had understood to
be still underway. In light of this, I have been surprised by
the way he has first insisted on a rule change and then by his
decision to issue my dismissal. I believe the retrospective rule
change Ernesto Bertarelli engineered is indicative of the management
style he favours, and one that, quite simply, I cannot agree with.
What's more,
an email he circulated to the Alinghi team is frankly misleading.
In the email he refers to comments I am reported to have made
to selected Italian newspapers, comments which, as I had deliberately
made clear to him were in fact very substantial misrepresentations
of what I had said. As Ernesto knew, I had also written to the
main newspaper concerned immediately after the story appeared,
and in good faith I copied this letter to Ernesto.
In the same
way I believe talks I have had with Paul Cayard about ideas for
a future event have now been exaggerated. I have made no secret
of the fact that Paul and I have been talking about these ideas,
which I thought might provide an exciting new event in sailing
that, if it ever came off, would in no way be in competition to
the America's Cup.
From a sailing
point of view, I have to say that despite the way it has ended,
Alinghi for me has been a terrific experience. I have hugely enjoyed
working with the whole team and wish them all every success for
the future.
For my own
part, I am committed to sailing in several upcoming regattas in
Europe over the coming months. It is true that I would have very
much liked to have sailed in the next America's Cup. However the
new rule change combined with this dismissal appear to preclude
this. I also believe the new rule change will be damaging to the
sport in general as it unfairly limits sailors' freedom and will
make it very expensive for new teams to contract with team members.
Whatever I
do next in sailing, I hope to play a role that helps to continue
to build the sport.
(Russell Coutts) |
CLASSIFIEDS AUSTRALIA
