Top FIA official resigns over ‘breakdown in governance standards’
Deputy president for sport at the FIA, Robert Reid, has resigned from his role over “a fundamental breakdown in governance standards within motorsport’s global governing body”.
Reid was a close ally of FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem but the duo have not seen eye to eye of late.
The motorsporting body and Ben Sulayem have been involved in a series of controversies surrounding governance and operations, with the FIA president previously needing to deny he was sexist having made derogatory comments about women.
In a statement Reid said he was experiencing “growing alarm over critical decisions being made without due process or proper consultation”.
“When I took on this role, it was to serve the FIA’s members, not to serve power,” the Scot added.
“Over time, I have witnessed a steady erosion of the principles we promised to uphold.
“Decisions are being made behind closed doors, bypassing the very structures and people the FIA exists to present.”
It comes after Motorsport UK chair David Richards wrote a letter to his members, threatening legal action against the FIA over changes to its statutes and governance methods.
FIA relations
Richards said that he intends to “remind the FIA of their responsibilities and hold them to account on behalf of the sport and their members worldwide”.
“The scope of the audit and ethics committees has been severely limited and now lacks autonomy from the authority of the president, while the UK representative, who challenged certain matters, was summarily removed along with the chair of the audit committee,” Richards added, relating to news that some members were barred from a recent World Motorsport Council meeting over the refusal to sign a confidentiality agreement.
“Our Motorsport UK lawyers, along with our 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.
“It is very disappointing to report that we have still not received an answer to these or the fundamental question I raised: where in the FIA Statutes does it provide for an elected member to be barred from a meeting?”
“We have informed the FIA that, unless they address the issues we’ve raised, we will be engaging in further legal action.”
Hit back
An FIA Spokesperson said: “The FIA is grateful for Robert Reid’s contribution to the FIA, and to motor sport more widely.
“The FIA has exceptionally robust corporate governance policies which guide our operations and ensure our rules, practices and processes are adhered to.”
FIA general manager Alberto Villarreal Gutiérrez also replied to Richards’ letter, saying he “struggles to understand your reluctance to be bound by the same terms and conditions as your fellow members, given you acknowledge the damage numerous leaks from the World Motor Sport Council had made to the FIA’s mission”.