Mosley comes out fighting over tabloid story
EMBATTLED FIA president Max Mosley has tonight come out fighting by starting a legal battle with the Sunday tabloid that published a lurid story about his private life.
Shocking revelations emerged in the News of the World that have this week placed Mosley's position as one of most powerful men in motorsport under severe threat.
Although Mosley subsequently apologised to all facets of the FIA for any embarrassment caused, he cited a covert investigation to discredit him had been undertaken.
The newspaper printed allegations there was a Nazi connotation to the sex scandal, a claim the 67-year-old Mosley insisted was entirely false.
Now he is determined to pursue the matter through the courts, with a statement confirming: "Lawyers representing Mr Mosley have today served proceedings against the News of the World claiming unlimited damages."
Mosley, though, appears to be facing a greater battle to save his job than he perhaps first anticipated.
Earlier this week, Mosley stated he had received a large number of messages of sympathy and support from within the FIA and the motor sport and motoring communities.
But over the past few days, a groundswell of negativity has slowly started to rise against him, with calls growing by the day for him to resign.
It is almost certain that regardless of the furore enveloping him, Mosley will resolutely stand firm until his fate is decided at an extraordinary general assembly of the FIA later this month.
The assembly comprises 222 national motoring organisations in 130 countries, and it is in their hands Mosley's fate rests.
And if the Dutch, German and Israeli motoring organisations are an indicator of the general feeling around the world, then Mosley's 15-year reign is approaching the end.
The Dutch motorsport federation, KNAF, have confirmed they will vote against Mosley at the meeting likely to take place in Paris.
"Because of his high-profile position, this can't be accepted," said KNAF president Arie Ruitenbeek of the lurid story that came to light in the News of the World.
"I have not received my invitation yet (to the FIA meeting), but we will go and vote for him to resign."
The ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club) have asked Mosley to very carefully reconsider his role.
Their statement read: "In a letter to FIA president Max Mosley, the ADAC has distanced itself from events surrounding his person.
"According to the ADAC, the role of an FIA president who represents more than 100 million motorists worldwide should not be burdened by such an affair.
"Therefore, we ask the president to very carefully reconsider his role within the organisation.
"According to the ADAC, the appropriate FIA process has to take care of the matter.
It is in the interests of this world organisation to carry on with its duties without the burden of this affair."
Yitzhak Milstein, president of the Automobile and Touring Club of Israel (MEMSI), described the Sunday tabloid story as "shocking".
"It is especially surprising for us in view of the fact that our contacts with Mr Mosley along the years have always been proper and correct, and never gave an indication of what the recent story in the press may reflect," added Milstein.
"Once the whole thing is clarified and there is a better idea on how true is the published story, we will make our conclusions known, and they will certainly match the severity of the matter."
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has maintained he is happy with Mosley, but insists his future is in his own hands.
Ecclestone, the most powerful man in world motorsport, said: "This is an FIA thing, this is nothing to do with anyone else.
"It doesn't affect us in any shape or form. It's not what I think, it's what other people think.
"I'm happy with Max, I don't have any problems at all with Max.
"Max will know what he needs to do, he is the president of the FIA, he is the one who will decide what goes on in the FIA, not me."
Three-times Formula One world champion Sir Jackie Stewart has also called on Mosley to quit, insisting his position is untenable.
Stewart's comments are unsurprising given the animosity that lingers between himself and Mosley, who at one point last year described the Scot as a "certified half-wit".
But in lending his weight to the furore raging around Mosley, Stewart said: "For a head of a global federation it is simply not possible to keep his position.
"It is not only bad for motorsport in general, but also bad for the whole motorsport industry.
"We have a world of different cultures and you cannot accept such things to happen.
"I don't think a head of a federation can survive such a thing and simply just keep his position.
"It is now up to the FIA and to Mosley himself. He has to do the right thing for the sport now.
If he would be in a commercial company he would already be gone."
Britain's own motoring organisation, the MSA (Motor Sports Association) are so far refusing to be drawn into the debate.
Alan Gow, who is chairman of the MSA, is the man who would attend the assembly hearing, potentially with chief executive Colin Hilton.
However, an MSA spokesperson said: "We are simply maintaining a watching brief at this stage to see how things develop."
7:52pm Friday 4th April 2008
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