Edward Gorman, Motor Racing Correspondent, in Barcelona
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An attempt by Max Mosley, the head of motorsport’s ruling body, to rehabilitate himself after lurid revelations about his appetite for sadomasochistic orgies with prostitutes suffered a setback yesterday when the Israeli Government withdrew his invitation to an event in Tel Aviv.
Mr Mosley, the son of Sir Oswald Mosley, the wartime Fascist leader, let it be widely known that he was to meet Galeb Majadle, the country’s Minister for Science, Culture and Sport, for talks on developing the sport in the region.
It emerged yesterday that embarrassed Israeli officials were unaware that Mr Mosley, who is facing calls to resign as president of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), was at the centre of a sex scandal that has shocked car manufacturers, Formula One and his family.
It appears that during a dinner hosted by Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan in Amman on Thursday night, at which Mr Mosley and Mr Majadle were present, no mention was made of revelations in the News of the World that Mr Mosley took part in a sadomasochistic bondage session which the paper said had Nazi overtones. Mr Mosley denies that there were any Nazi connotations and is taking legal action against the paper.
Once the Israelis realised their mistake they were quick to issue a statement underlining that Mr Mosley was not welcome in Israel. The statement noted that Mr Mosley and Mr Majadle had met and held detailed discussions but added: “The Minister, who was not at all aware of the scandal currently surrounding Mosley’s name, would now like to make it clear that his invitation was not intended to be personal to Mosley himself but rather to the representative of the FIA as a global organisation. In any event, once the scandal was brought to the Minister’s attention, he has requested to withdraw immediately any official invitation to Mosley until the matter is reviewed more thoroughly once back in Israel.”
The reaction of the Israeli Government will underline the widespread view within motorsport and the car industry that Mr Mosley has become a liability to the FIA and can no longer function in a role that involves representing the interests of more than 100 million motorists.
The volte-face in Jerusalem follows a similar reaction by the Crown Prince of Bahrain, who wrote to Mr Mosley informing him that he would not be welcome for that country’s Formula One Grand Prix three weeks ago.
The change of heart by Mr Majadle is a serious blow to Mr Mosley’s carefully planned attempt to re-establish himself, which is being co-ordinated by the FIA’s spokesman and Mr Mosley’s personal “spin-doctor”, Richard Woods. Yesterday Mr Woods said: “The FIA cannot make a comment on this matter until we receive official confirmation of the statement from the Israeli Government.”
In the Formula One paddock, Mr Mosley’s refusal to step down — instead he has gambled his future on a confidence vote of FIA members in a secret ballot on June 3 — has angered team principals who believe he is causing immense damage to the sport and putting his appetite for public attention before his duty to the sport he claims to love.
Before the publication of the Israeli statement Mr Mosley told reporters in Jordan that he was planning to attend next month’s Monaco Grand Prix which will be his first appearance on the Formula One circuit since the scandal erupted. “I only went to one complete Formula One race last year. That was Monaco, and I was at the complete event because I live there,” he said.
Mr Woods has said that Mr Mosley has had more than seven letters of support for every one asking him to resign. But at least 22 leading individuals and organisations in motorsport have expressed concern about his position, with only three individuals or organisations in favour.
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"Embarrassed Israeli officials" - you are having a laugh aren't you!
T. Wellham, Essex, England
I don't think FIA should be concerned about a person's sex life and his fetishes. What they should see is whether Mosley is an able administrator or not. Also, NOTW had no right to publish what they did. It was a private affair which should have stayed off the print.
Chinmay Dhopate, Mumbai, India
This unsavory specimen does no good to the racing industry.
Well Done the Israel fro keeping him out.
Lets show the world that sleazy sadistic behaviour is not acceptable .
kas, bridgetown, barbados
@ Diana. The man is a sadist, he gets sexually aroused by humiliating and mock-torturing people. Do you really believe that doesn't affect his ability to dispense punishment fairly and maturely? No sadist should ever hold a position of unaccountable power.
Nigel, Belfast,
Morals? No, the essence of Mosley's troubles is the Nazi aspect of his acts. It's all about super-sensitivy as to anything related to Israel.
M. Vincent Savage, Florence, usa
So Israel doesnt want Mosley to visit because he likes a bit of bondage. This is the same Israel that is responsible for massive human rights abuses against the palestinians right? The ones that approve of collective punishment and have killed over a dozen children in the last month?
Paul, Nottingham, UK
F1 is kind of a joke.Most of the cars are not there to win,but rather to gain enough sponsership money to keep running,and paying staff.It takes about 5 million US dollars to keep a top car per year on the track.Only 4 teams actualy put that kind of money out,the rest spend about a million a year.
Levy, Haifa, Israel
Most sponsorship contracts tie sponsors to their chosen teams for this year at least. But what about next season?
Hypothetically speaking - if this year proves to be unusually low in terms of investment into motorsport - will teams and their employees be in a position to initiate a class action?
graham fudger, Watford, UK
There's private sexual desires and there's cavorting en-mass with prostitutes - generally they are seperate issues - but lot's of people here seem to be confusing the two ( Max included )
graham fudger, Watford, UK
Thank God there are still people with morals in this age of amorality and immorality. The destruction of civilisations starts with such depravities.
B J Deller, Marbella, Spain
How far will we go to clean our sorry soul.How many legitimate business owners today of large companys have had their companies handed to them by grandparents,or parents that directly benefited by making money with the nazi pirates.Are we asking these people to give up their ownership?...So what if the guy likes to get spanked by a nazi guard,I can think of many things much worse......GROW UP
Levy, Haifa, Israel
Mosley clings to his FIA position as if it was an exquisite sadomasocistic prostitute who just showed him brand new exciting "tricks"!
To A. Dianes from Toulouse: The MORAL behavior of PUBLIC officials is required. They, as PUBLIC people, must show an example to others. Or go away!
Chagri Lama
Chagri Lama, Minneapolis, MN, USA
By what right do you declare a man unfit for a job because of his private sexual desires? It seems both interfearing and intolerant morally. Surely it should be the sucess of formula one which decides whther he is fit for office, not what he may wish to do with his sex life?
A. Diana, Toulouse,
Who is responsible for failing to remove Mosley from office?
Andrew Waldron, Bournemouth, UK
The man pays for sex - its disgusting, and shameful for his family, let alone motor sport.
Arnold Ward, Weybridge, Surrey, UK
Mr. Mosleyappetite for sadomasochistic orgies with prostitutes is may be not so politically correct, but is pretty much a norm in certain clubs in NY. Sadomasochistic orgies sound terrible, but in fact there is nothing to fear. Intolerance is something I an worried about.
Yaakov Sullivan, NYC, US
Mr. Mosley has turned F1 into a sick joke. Any other multi-billion pound international business (& F1 is a business far more than it is a sport) would have a morality clause written into its senior manager's contracts. And as a sport F1 requires role models. Untilhe goes, F1 is tarnished.
j.turner, spalding, uk
This is a superbly well written and supremely cogent exposition of Mosley's conspicuous unfitness to continue in the prestigious office to which this humiliated man clings with such tenacious and single-minded self-interest to the detriment of the organisation which he disgraces with his presidency.
Douglas, London,, England - U.K.
If you publicly claim to have 7 letters of support to every 1 asking you to resign, publish them now Mr Mosley! Until then, that claim is very dubious given the fast growing list of important bodies and people who clearly view MM as a complete embarrassment and highly damaging to the image of F1
lisa, London,