Sports

Mercedes and Ferrari comments ‘unacceptable’

Published

2 years ago

October 1, 2022

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says he is “absolutely confident” his team did not breach Formula 1’s budget cap in 2021.

Ferrari and Mercedes say it is an “open secret” that two teams breached the limit to one degree or another, and it is widely claimed in the paddock within F1 that they are Red Bull and Aston Martin.

Horner said: “We stand 100% behind the submission that we are below the cap.”

He said comments by his rivals were “unacceptable” and “hugely defamatory”, and he threatened to take further action in response.

Aston Martin say they are “in discussion with the FIA and awaiting certification”.

Ferrari did not name Red Bull in their public comments on Friday.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, in response to Horner’s claim that he had “no knowledge” of any breaches by Red Bull, told Sky Sports: “It’s funny Christian says that because it’s been weeks and months they’re being investigated, so maybe he doesn’t speak to his CFO [chief financial officer].”

Horner accused both rivals of employing “an underhand tactic” to distract from the fact that Red Bull driver Max Verstappen could clinch his second world title at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.

Horner said the process of governing body the FIA assessing Red Bull’s accounts was “ongoing” and that the team were “a little bit taken aback” by the comments.

Mercedes and Ferrari both said they believed one team had broken the cap by a large amount and the other by a smaller one. The F1 financial regulations define a minor breach as one less than 5% of the cap, which was $145m (£114m) in 2021, and a material one as more than that.

The FIA has told teams it will issue certificates of compliance or otherwise on 5 October.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said: “As far as we understand, there’s a team in minor breach, which is more procedural, and another team that is fundamentally massively over and that is that is being still looked after. So that’s an open secret in the paddock.”

Horner said: “The facts are that it is a private submission to the FIA.

“So how on earth can any team know the detail of our submission? How can any team know a team is in breach or not? We don’t even know if we’re in breach. We don’t know until next week, until the process has been completed.

“So perhaps when these accusations are made, people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones and you know we take umbrage and extremely seriously the remarks that have been made.”

He added: “Unless there is a clear withdrawal of these comments, we will be taking it incredibly seriously and looking at what the options are.”

Mercedes and Ferrari rejected Horner’s request to withdraw their remarks.

Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies echoed Wolff’s remarks on Friday in saying it was”no secret” two teams had breached the cap.

Mekies added in a news conference on Saturday that any breach of the cap last year would also have an impact on performance in 2022 and 2023.

“If there was a breach in 2021, what advantage is being carried into 2022 and 2023?” Mekies said. “After, you can discuss the penalty and how do you make it meaningful.

“We are banging on about transparency and severity because if it turns out to be something a team can bet on to gain a competitive advantage, the whole system collapses. The first time the budget cap is challenged, you need a certain amount of severity.

“It’s a simple calculation, we take it very seriously because this is a serious amount of lap time – $7m would give you 70 engineers, 70 engineers would give you a serious amount of lap time.

“If you think about the power of the financial regulations, it probably overpowers the sporting and technical regulations, so this is why we are looking forward to a transparent and severe approach.”

He added: “It is a very vital test for the cost cap. And if we don’t pass that test then it’s probably game over, because the implications are huge.”

Sanctions for a minor breach can include a deduction of points for the championship in which the breach took place, a suspension from a limited number of events, limitations on research and development and a reduction of the cost cap for the team in question.

For a material breach, the possibility of banning a team or driver from an entire championship is included.

The cap was introduced in 2021 as part of a series of rule changes aimed at closing up the field and making the sport more competitive.

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl said: “The financial regulations are as important as technical and sporting ones, and it’s very important the FIA police then properly and enforce them with the proper penalties in place even if it affects championships outcomes from the past.”

He added: “It is the only way to be in F1 in a sustainable way.”

Alfa Romeo team boss Frederic Vasseur said: “We can’t jeopardise the budget cap. [If it collapses], it’s not the end of F1, but almost, and we have to take action.”

Horner also accused Williams of “forgetting” to make their submission, which Williams chief executive officer Jost Capito, sitting beside him in a news conference, said was “not true”.

Williams were fined $25,000 in June for a “procedural breach” of the financial rules. Capito said it was caused by an auditing delay of one of the team’s related companies, the FIA was forewarned, it was dealt with within the week and was “nothing to do directly with the team”.

Writes /BBC/

Reports /TrainViral/

Rugby

England challenge is to start beating the best

Published

5 months ago

July 15, 2024

An international season that started on 5 August in Cardiff ended for England on Saturday in Auckland with a feeling of deja vu in the air.

Just like in Dunedin a week earlier, England had stayed in the fight admirably in the first half, rallying either side of the break to take control and threaten to pull off a historic win, before frustratingly fading in the final quarter as the All Blacks bench proved decisive.

So how should England supporters view the 2-0 series defeat? A tour that showed Steve Borthwick’s side are moving in the right direction? Or a huge missed opportunity?

“Absolutely both,” said skipper Jamie George, who led the group with distinction on his first tour as captain.

England have played South Africa, Ireland and France over the past eight months, in addition to two games against New Zealand. The aggregate score against these top four sides in the world is 101-111, with one narrow win and four narrow defeats.

“We are definitely trending in the right direction,” vice-captain Henry Slade said.

“We are pushing the top four sides now and getting better and better week by week.”

The challenge for England now is to get on the right side of these tussles.

“I don’t want to revisit mistakes,” reflected Borthwick on Sunday in downtown Auckland, shortly before starting the long journey home via Sydney and Singapore.

“In each of those games, we’ve been in a position late in the game in a leading position on the scoreboard.”

‘I need to coach them fast’

There are some key areas where England need to improve if they are to become a genuine force on the world stage.

Keeping the scoreboard moving when matches tighten up – England scored only three second-half points in Auckland and five in Dunedin – as well as shoring up the scrum and being more streetwise are all areas highlighted by Borthwick.

“Test matches at this level are tight encounters, they are decided generally by a penalty or a drop-goal, one moment, one missed kick,” he said.

“That is the nature of it and the players have experienced that, we are going to be better for it. Every one of these has to be a learning experience.”

Where do England stand after All Blacks defeat?
Published

2 days ago
‘No ceiling’ to England’s development – George
Published

2 days ago

After relying on an older core to reach the World Cup semi-finals last year, Borthwick says 2024 has been the “second phase” of his tenure as he goes about building a new team.

“So far in these eight Tests [in 2024] we have had eight new caps,” he explained.

There is youth all across the backline. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso is 21. Fin Smith 22. Ollie Sleightholme, 24, made his debut in New Zealand.

Up front, 22-year-old Fin Baxter has come through. Chandler Cunningham-South at 21 and George Martin, only just 23, have continued to emerge. Experience, though, wins tight Test matches. And while Borthwick and his coaches can’t buy experience, they aim to accelerate the players’ learning.

“The England pack has changed from what was traditionally a very big powerful pack to more of a younger, dynamic pack,” Borthwick explained.

“You can see that younger pack developing. I need to coach them as fast as I can.”

‘We have to develop at tight-head’

While depth is building in some areas, other positions still look light with tight-head prop of particular concern. Too much is being asked of 37-year-old Dan Cole, who has now won more caps at prop than any other Englishman.

The scrum creaked in both Tests against the All Blacks.

“I’ll have a conversation with Coley and see what he wants to do,” said Borthwick. “But quite clearly we need to find some more tight-heads. That’s going to be a big development project.

“Will Stuart has done really well in the last couple of Tests. The New Zealand scrum is very good and outside the scrum I thought he did many things very well.

“Part of my next step is to do that kind of planning and decide on the right thing to do. I’m trying to have consistency in selection and build the number of caps, not just individually but together, so we maximise the cohesion.

“That’s clearly with a longer-term goal in mind but we need results now as well. That’s always a challenge the England head coach has. We need results now and we need to be preparing for several years in advance.”

‘World-class Ford to return’

Behind the scrum, England need more back-up to Alex Mitchell at number nine, with neither Harry Randall or Ben Spencer given much game time. Mitchell played the whole 80 minutes in Auckland.

At fly-half Marcus Smith was trusted with running the side throughout the tour, and while he missed some crucial kicks in the first Test against New Zealand, he excelled in Tokyo against Japan and set up three of England’s four tries against the All Blacks.

Namesake Fin came off the bench twice but didn’t have long enough to impose himself.

“I thought Marcus has done some really good things, when you see the ability he has to see space, to create tries, to open up a defence,” Borthwick said.

Meanwhile, the England boss was unequivocal when asked whether 96-cap George Ford still had a role to play after missing the tour through injury. If Ford returns to form and fitness, he could well wear number 10 again in the autumn.

“He is world class and I thought his performance in the Six Nations was exceptional,” Borthwick said.

“The three of them – Fin Smith, George Ford and Marcus – it puts us in a pretty enviable position.”

‘We have fight and spirit’

England’s players will now get a minimum five-week break before returning to their clubs. The new Professional Game Partnership between clubs and the Rugby Football Union has been agreed, which will give Borthwick slightly more control over a core group of 20 or so players.

Their next assignment in a white jersey will be at Twickenham in November with – fittingly – the All Blacks first up.

“We owe them one,” said George.

“To get the results we need to be tactically smart and we’ve got to be really well organised,” continued Borthwick.

“But fundamentally, there’s got to be something that sits underneath all that and that is the fight and spirit that we have within the team.

“What you see in this England team now is fight and spirit, and we need to make sure that gives us a good foundation for everything we do going forward.”

Reports /Trainviral/

Football

Argentina beat Colombia to vin 16th Copa

Published

5 months ago

July 15, 2024

Argentina beat Colombia to win a record 16th Copa America but the game was marred by the kick-off being delayed by 80 minutes because of trouble outside the ground in Miami.

Lautaro Martinez struck in the second half of extra time from Giovani lo Celso’s through ball to secure the win.

Captain Lionel Messi was left in tears when he had to be replaced midway through the second half after injuring himself while chasing for the ball – but was celebrating his country’s third successive major tournament at the final whistle.

Kick-off was delayed because of chaos outside the Hard Rock Stadium.

Organisers said ticketless fans tried to get into the ground, leaving some fans waiting for hours in the Miami heat for the gates to open.

Fans and police officers and security clashed with several arrests made. Several supporters needed treatment from paramedics.

On top of that the half-time break lasted for 25 minutes because of a concert by Colombian popstar Shakira on the pitch, a move that was criticised by Colombia boss Nestor Lorenzo beforehand.

It was a game of few clear chances in hot, humid conditions, with Colombia’s Jhon Cordoba hitting the woodwork in the first half.

Argentina thought they had taken the lead with 15 minutes to go but Nicolas Tagliafico’s effort was ruled out for offside.

Martinez would end up as the hero – and win the Golden Boot with five goals.

What now for Messi after Copa America glory?

Messi had never won a senior international tournament until the age of 34 and now he has won three in three years after the 2021 Copa America and 2022 World Cup.

The final was played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami – which is just over 20 miles from the city of Fort Lauderdale, where Messi’s Inter Miami club play.

The 37-year-old said before this tournament he had yet to make a decision on whether he will play on for his country until the next World Cup, which is also in the US – as well as Canada and Mexico.

His powers seem to be waning and his only goal of the tournament came in the semi-final win over Canada. He missed a penalty in the quarter-final shootout against Ecuador.

In this game he was hurt by a tackle in the first half and hobbled off in the second period, holding an ice pack on his ankle on the bench.

Is this his final major tournament appearance of a legendary career?

It was certainly the final appearance of Angel di Maria’s international career. The 145-times capped player had already announced he would retire from the international stage after this.

Trouble before the game

The delays before the game were more bad news for organisers – with the Hard Rock Stadium due to host games at the 2026 World Cup.

In the semi-finals in Charlotte, Uruguay players clashed with Colombia fans after the final whistle – because they were worried about the safety of their families.

Players’ families were affected too in Miami.

Roberto Garnacho, brother of Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho, wrote on social media: “What a shame CONMEBOL, the families not being able to enter the stadium, unbelievable.

“We were with [Argentina defender Marcos Acuna’s] family outside, getting away from the fights… Argentina’s security had to come get us, children of players crying, people entering without tickets.”

Colombia’s wait goes on

Colombia had been unbeaten in 28 games, a run stretching over two years going back to a World Cup qualifier against Argentina.

But their only Copa America triumph remains the 2001 success in their home country.

They had chances against the Argentines, most notably when Cordoba hit the post early on with a hooked volley.

Writtes /BBC/

Reports /Trainviral/

Sports

Ex-Tory MP defects to Reform UK

Published

10 months ago

March 12, 2024

Ex-Conservative Party deputy chairman Lee Anderson has defected to Reform UK.

Mr Anderson was suspended as a Conservative MP after refusing to apologise for claims Islamists had “control” of London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

The defection ends weeks of speculation about the Ashfield MP and TV presenter’s future.

Mr Anderson said he had been given the chance to “speak out in Parliament on behalf of millions of people up and down the country” who support Reform.

He becomes Reform UK’s first ever MP, representing a party polling around 10% of national voting intention.

Speaking at a press conference, Mr Anderson said he was “prepared to gamble on myself” because he said he knew “how many people support Reform and what they have to say”.

“All I want is my country back,” he added.

Reform UK founder and honorary president Nigel Farage said called the defection “huge”. He said: “I don’t think Westminster really understands this yet.”

Mr Anderson ruled out calling a by-election in his own seat, telling the BBC it “would be pretty reckless for me to suggest a by-election when we could have a general election in May”.

Two years ago, Mr Anderson backed a failed bid to let constituents trigger a by-election when their MP changes parties.

Home Secretary James Cleverly said Mr Anderson had “made a real mistake” in defecting from the Conservatives.

“Reform is not the answer,” he added.

Mr Cleverly said he agreed with Mr Anderson’s comments from January this year, when he said a “vote for Reform will only let the Labour party in”.

Red Wall ‘champion’

Mr Anderson was elected in 2019 to the Red Wall seat of Ashfield with a 5,700 vote majority – having previously served as a Labour councillor for his home town.

The son of a coal miner, Mr Anderson belonged to Arthur Scargill’s National Union of Mineworkers. His first job in politics was working in the office of local Labour MP Gloria De Piero, serving as district councillor at the same time.

After switching to the Conservative Party, the staunch Brexit supporter became an ally of former prime minister Boris Johnson.

He was made deputy chairman of the Conservative Party in February last year, but resigned in January to rebel against Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda bill.

Announcing Mr Anderson’s defection, Reform UK Leader Richard Tice said his party had founds a “champion” for its plans to supplant the Conservatives in the Red Wall.

Mr Anderson was a “person of great integrity”, Mr Tice added.

The Reform leader said: “I think millions of British people endorsed the concerns and sentiments of what Lee was saying, which is that we are sick and tired of our streets being taken over by these pro-Hamas, extremist, antisemitic people and Islamist extremists.”

Reform UK has confirmed he will stand for Ashfield in the general election, superseding Henry Grisewood – who the party had initially chosen.

Ex-miner Lee Anderson joined the Conservative Party having previously worked for a Labour MP

Pat McFadden, Labour’s National Campaign Coordinator, said Mr Anderson’s defection showed “the Conservatives are falling apart”.

“The truth is that the prime minister is too weak to lead a party too extreme to be led,” he said.

Some of Mr Anderson’s former colleagues criticised his defection – saying it made “a less conservative Britain more likely”.

The New Conservatives, made up mostly of 2019 Tory Red Wall MPs like Mr Anderson, said “the responsibility for Lee’s defection sits with the Conservative Party”.

In a statement, the group argued the Tory party’s failure to stick to the promises of the 2019 general election had led to split in the party.

Mr Anderson sparked a backlash after he claimed last month that the capital had been “taken over” amid the weekly pro-Palestinian protests over the war in Gaza.

In an interview with GB News, Mr Anderson said: “I don’t actually believe that these Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is that they’ve got control of Khan, they’ve got control of London.

“He’s actually given our capital city away to his mates.”

Mr Anderson was stripped of the Tory whip after he refused to apologise for the remarks. He instead doubled down on his comments although conceded his phrasing was “clumsy”.

Analysis by BBC chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman

Lee Anderson’s decision to join Reform is unquestionably a significant blow for Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives.

Despite having no MPs and just a small handful of councillors, Reform are reliably polling around 10%. That is a high enough figure that some Conservative MPs believe it is as important for them to win back voters they are losing to Reform as it is those who are switching to Labour.

By giving Reform a parliamentary figurehead for the first time, Mr Anderson may make it harder for the Conservatives to reunite the right.

There are some important caveats. Most importantly, Mr Anderson is not making his defection from a position of strength. He was suspended from the Conservative ranks at Westminster after accusing Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, of being controlled by Islamists.

Mr Anderson refused to apologise for his comments, making his suspension all but inevitable. There was grumbling from some Conservatives who wanted Mr Anderson to be handed a clear path back into the fold – but any such route would almost certainly have required him to apologise, which he again refused to do today.

It’s also worth noting that while Mr Anderson is well-known in Westminster for his pugnacious style, and has a show on GB News, he is not exactly a major national figure. Arguably a more worrying announcement for the Conservatives would have been the return of Nigel Farage to active campaigning duties.

Yet one person who definitely does rate Mr Anderson’s ability to connect with a slice of the British public is the prime minister himself. Mr Sunak appointed Mr Anderson a deputy chairman of the Conservative Party in February last year. And as recently as January Mr Anderson starred with him in a campaign video about how “we should be so proud of our country”.