Flavio Briatore has today been banned from Formula One for life promoting further concerns that he may be forced to step down as QPR chairman under the league's fit and proper person test.
The big news today is the judgement passed by the World Motor Sport Council and FIA on Flavio Briatore for his role in ‘crashgate’ – the deliberate crash by driver Nelson Piquet Jnr at the Singapore Grand Prix last year that enabled his team mate Fernando Alonso to take a surprise victory from behind a safety car. Formula One’s ruling body today banned Briatore from any future involvement in the sport and that in turn calls into question his ownership of QPR as the Football League’s ‘fit and proper’ person test forbids people banned from other sports from owning football clubs. It has been suggested that Briatore must now relinquish his chairmanship of Rangers, and a controlling shareholding.
The Football League has today confirmed that it has written to the FIA asking for a more detailed explanation of their judgement for discussion at the league’s October meeting. A spokesman for the league said: “The Football League chairman, Lord Mawhinney, has today written to the FIA to request further details of its decision. Thereafter, the league will consider its position on the matter."
On the pitch QPR were rewarded for a fine win at Cardiff on Saturday with two players in the division’s official team of the week. Radek Cerny and Kaspars Gorkss were included after keeping a clean sheet but there was no place for two goal hero Jay Simpson or LFW man of the match Martin Rowlands.
The full team is: Cerny (QPR), Zuiverloon (West Brom), Martis (West Brom), Gorkss (QPR), Hill (Palace), Brunt (West Brom), Woods (Doncaster), Nolan (Newcastle), Boyd (Peterborough), Brown (Preston) and Fryatt (Leicester).
After the game in South Wales striker Rowan Vine appealed for Jim Magilton to be given time to build his own side at Loftus Road after so much recent instability. He told The Mirror: “We have brought in players over the last 18 months who have strengthened the squad massively. But there has been instability at the club, with people coming and going. That never helps. Jim Magilton has certainly been good for the players so far. We would like to see him given the time to continue the job. We believe we are one of the top teams in the league. We are capable of beating anybody. What we need is for everyone to be pulling in the same direction.”
Elsewhere Watford manager Malky Mackay has heaped praise on Heidar Helguson who scored twice on Saturday against Leicester on his Hornets’ debut after signing on loan from QPR last week. Mackay told the Watford Observer: “In the first minute of the second half he showed his intent with a sliding chance that just went by and I think from there on he showed his maturity, the fact he was a man coming into the game. He worked hard and his combination with Danny Graham and how they knew where each other were playing, was excellent. You also know what you are going to get from him. The staff at the club have played against him or with him over the last few years and you know you are going to be in a game if you go against him. If you get quality ball into the box, which we did in the second half, then you are going to have chances with him and that is what he showed today.”
Elsewhere in the Championship today Sheff Wed winger Etienne Esajas says he hopes his incredible second half performance as a substitute at Bramall lane on Friday, where Wednesday came from three down at half time to lose narrowly three two, will see him starting more games in the future. Manager Brian Laws has admitted that he should have picked Esajas from the start. Former QPR loanee Andrew Davies says he hopes to stay at Sheffield United long term after making a loan move from Stoke, while Cardiff manager Dave Jones has branded his side’s performance against the R’s on Saturday the worst of his tenure in South Wales.