Jim Ratcliffe, patron of the British team and owner of Manchester United, has broken off his collaboration with the sailing legend. And a legal battle between the two is looming.
The (very cold) official statement came after increasingly intense rumors about disagreements between the English sailing legend and the tycoon Jim Ratcliffe “Ineos will participate in the 38th America’s Cup with the name Ineos Britannia after having concluded the collaboration with Sir Ben Ainslie. Unfortunately, it was not possible to find an agreement to continue after the conclusion of the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona. Ineos Britannia has appointed Dave Endean as CEO, a highly experienced figure in the world of sailing and the America’s Cup. We will also continue to leverage the design and technological expertise of the Mercedes F1 team, led by technical director James Allison.” In the small world of the America’s Cup, only the disagreement between the ‘magician’ Russell Coutts and Ernesto Bertarelli, owner of Alinghi, caused the same sensation. A partnership that allowed Great Britain – after mediocre decades – to return to the top sailing competition is dissolved. In the last edition, Ineos Britannia won the Louis Vuitton Cup by overcoming Luna Rossa Prada and Pirelli 7 to 4 and facing Team New Zealand in the final, losing badly (2 to 7).
DISSIDESES
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The basis of the dismissal is the preparation of the next match, the location of which has not yet been decided after Valencia’s withdrawal. Ainslie had confirmed his intention to lead his fourth consecutive challenge, underlining that he was however not certain about the financing. A few days ago, the Times newspaper had spoken of increasingly difficult relations between Ratcliffe, the very rich CEO of Ineos and co-owner of Manchester United: the tycoon essentially privately reproached the four-time Olympic champion for having invested 240 million pounds (about 285 million euros) in two challenges without having brought home the most prestigious trophy in sailing. Even though he declared himself proud in public and underlined this in the official statement. “I am extremely proud of what we achieved in Barcelona, developing a truly competitive British boat for the first time in decades. We set new standards for British sailing, winning the Louis Vuitton Cup for the first time and taking races from the Defender in the finals, something that hadn’t happened for 90 years. Now we will build on this foundation for the 38th edition thanks to the Ineos challenge, with already 100 scientists and engineers working on the project.”
How it will end
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The reply from Sir Ben Ainslie and his Athena Racing was very touching. “The British challenge for the 38th America’s Cup – reads the press release – is amazed to read in today’s press release from Ineos and Mercedes F1 what was stated for their planned challenge. This plan poses significant legal and practical hurdles for them which will be communicated in the coming days and weeks. Furthermore, Sir Ben Ainslie’s British America’s Cup team will be known shortly as Athena Racing moves forward alongside the Youth and Women’s America’s Cup teams, the Athena Pathway.” Fire and flames, therefore, between the two. A scenario also opens up which could include two English teams for the next edition as well as a probable legal battle with an unpredictable outcome.
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