FIA’s future hung in the balance as member federations prepared to vote on whether Max Mosley should continue as president of motor sport’s governing body.
The specially convened assembly was called by the embattled Mosley when the 68-year-old Englishman refused to resign after a British newspaper reported that he had engaged in Nazi-themed sex acts with prostitutes.
Arriving federation members called this “a very important day for motorsport.”
“This is not just about one person but about the whole organization with 100 years of history,” Australian representative Gary Connelly said.
Mosley has not denied the claims, published in the News of the World on March 31, but has since insisted what he did was “harmless and completely legal”.
Mosley has strongly refuted the Nazi connotation implied in the article - while also fervently bemoaning the invasion of his privacy.
On this premise, he has launched a legal case against the Sunday tabloid in pursuit of clearing his name and claiming unlimited damages which, should he win, will be donated to charity.
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone for the first time publicly voiced his private thoughts, and called for Mosley to quit.
“He should go out of responsibility for the institution he represents,” Ecclestone said.
“Everyone I speak to in a position of authority in F1 says he should go. It’s regretful he’s not made this decision.”
“The general feeling is that people would no longer be comfortable speaking to him in the same way,” he said.
He has kept a low profile in the past two months—making his first race appearance since Malaysia in the paddock at the Monaco Grand Prix.
The story has bubbled along despite Mosley’s low profile, with a number of teams, motor sport bodies and former drivers demanding he resign over the allegations.
The story was given extra zing by claims an MI5 agent had to resign after it was revealed his wife was one of the prostitutes involved.
Mosley had been confident of winning the vote—there are 177 up for grabs—and continuing in the position till his term ends next year, but in the past week 24 large motor sport bodies have come out against him.
Ahead of the meeting the FIA released the following information:
Composition:
The FIA Extraordinary General Assembly (EGA) will be composed of the representatives (Delegates) of FIA Member Clubs, Associations or Federations.
If in one country the FIA has several Member Clubs, these may be represented by the same Delegate.
Any Member Club unable to send a Delegate may be represented by another Club. However, no Club is allowed to accept more than one proxy. Votes by correspondence are not accepted.
The FIA President can invite to the EGA any person who may bring useful assistance to the meeting.
Voting Procedure:
Each delegate will be called in front of the EGA to put a sealed envelope containing their vote(s) into the ballot box. The envelope will contain their ballot paper(s) with their choice for or against the motion of confidence in the FIA President.
The votes will be counted in private by the FIA legal department, in the presence of four scrutineers, selected by the EGA from a list of Delegates proposed by the Chairman of the meeting (in this case the President of the FIA Senate).
The number and share of votes cast will be announced at the end of the meeting.
| 
|