For the Record: Singapore - Brad Butterworth
[Source: Alinghi] On his return to Valencia, Brad Butterworth, Alinghi team skipper and representative at the recent Singapore meetings with BMW Oracle, comments on what happened: "We had a meeting with BMW Oracle representatives from 09:00 SGT on Tuesday 12 January until 20:00 that night and agreed to reconvene the next morning to continue as there were a lot of issues that we had agreed on but a few that were holding us apart.
We agreed before the ISAF representative, David Kellett, and the ISAF AC Jury chairman, David Tillett, to have a media blackout and to do nothing that would jeopardise the discussions until we had had sufficient time the following day to talk these remaining issues through. As it happened, we all ended up having dinner together and continued the discussions, which concluded that night with a gentleman’s agreement.
When we reconvened at 09:30 the next morning (Wednesday 13) and the meeting was brought to order by Tillett, Tom Ehman – on behalf of BMW Oracle – instructed us that court proceedings had been filed in New York overnight and that they were sending a media release. At this stage the relationship between the two teams soured dramatically, but despite this surprising development, the ISAF representatives encouraged us to take the agreement back to the team principals which I agreed to do. The meeting ended and the ISAF guys left for the airport. During the course of the afternoon, I was initially instructed that BMW Oracle were keen to sign the deal, but by the time I got hold of the guys in Valencia to discuss it, Oracle had withdrawn from the agreement.”
Labels: 33rd America's Cup, Alinghi, Brad Butterworth
24 Comments:
Sounds like vintage Ehman. Whilst this guy is on the scene there's no hope of any compromise he thrives on this stuff.
Well done BOR.
An agreement almost reached which would have made the event better for both the teams and the fans, and you have to resort to the courts again.
Sorry let me reword that. An agreement almost reached which would have meant that BOR would have to go racing, and so they resort to the courts to get a delay.
Man up and race.
Why can't Brad and Russell sing off the same song sheet if they are such mates? Butterworth's account directly contradicts the Coutts version that the Oracle guys physically signed the deal. Time to get these two guys together in front of a camera and ask some REAL questions instead of pandering to their egos.
After working with many of the characters, rouges and snakes in this ridiculous farce of a Cup, including "What's In It For Me" Coutts. I have to believe Butterworth's version of events.
oracle has hold a media-meeting in zuerich today! the wanted to sail in march in valencia, that was the offer... check http://sport.sf.tv/ there will be a video of the sportaktuell of today, i just saw it live.
It would be interesting to hear the other side of the story....
Bob the cynic
http://www.teletext.ch/TSR1/190-00.html
march! and alinghi can use the sails!
Negotiations doomed to fail since one of the two parties does not want to race on Feb 8. When you negotiate and suddenly you see that actually an agreement is about to be signed, the only thing to do to stop it is to drop a bomb...aka court order. BOR has just lost a lot of credibility and I do believe that in the end, even if Alinghi would have CiC sails etc. , something ridiculous would pop up again. Alinghi could simply create a nationality rule and ask that at least 4 sailors are US nationals on BOR during the race. They did not (so far) because they really want to race. CIC is like other things relative to the age we live in. Americans should get over the fact that they lost the CUP more than two decades ago and simply do what all the other sailing teams have done so far : sail and capture the Mug... the court fights after a point is not for sailing heros but pencil movers...lets sail.
Wow, typical Alinghi feeding fenzy on what???
Sounds like EB was pulling the strings once again like he did on agreements in Sydney, VLC now Singapore & he has broken off talks with Rita too
MADRID (AP) -- A witness to the failed America's Cup negotiations between Alinghi and BMW Oracle expects a quick settlement.
David Tillett, chairman of the international jury for the 33rd edition of the race, says the event is not ''a dead duck'' and he expects the teams to work out their differences in time for the best-of-three series, which starts on Feb. 8.
Tillett told The Associated Press the negotiations went smoothly until the ''11th hour,'' when one team balked at signing the agreement over the race rules.
BMW Oracle says that Alinghi rejected an agreement at the last minute, while Alinghi claims the Americans broke off the talks.
Does anyone else get the feeling that this is increasingly about a small coterie of Kiwi buddy-boys who are making big coin, just milking it for all its worth and taking everybody for a ride - including the guys who are paying for it ?
http://videoportal.sf.tv/video?id=53330f90-6813-49dd-ae63-f4d10eaceb4f
after 1 minute 15 sec, see your self!
Brad's not that kind of guy, whereas RC gets dictated to by tom 'the slug' ehman.
Rc and TE are milking it, and fuck yeah i would to if i was working for an unrespectable dipshit like LE, the guy's a joke.
The truth will probably only come out years from now when neither Brad nor Russell are part of their respective teams and they're both writing their biographies.
Another example of "She said/She said". How can anyone at this point believe one team over the other? I'm a BMWO supporter and I don't believe what either team says in regards to what happens behind closed doors. Hopefully someone writes a book about this edition of the Cup and explains all this bullshit. I'd buy it.
PS: Yes I meant to put "She said/She said" at the top because at this point both sides are acting like two little girls.
Wet Hog - when have you ever seen two little girls behave as badly as these GROWN MEN for so long!!??
At least with little girls, ice cream or chocolate stops any squabbling immediately!!
What do you think wold put an end to this bickering and battle of ego's????
Russell, could you please explain the public why you as an american team hold a press conference in Zürich right after the meeting in Singapore? Is it possibil that it happened only because you want to discredit Alinghi again? This is again a very characterless behave ...
Brad's Kiwi English must have been different from Tom (aka "the snake") Ehman's American English, so that they could not understand each other.
Living in Switzerland for I can't see any sense in this event held in Zurich. Swiss TV has sent a short report including some tongue-in-cheek comment on the catering offered by BMWO. Public interest is rather low and those few who are interested are still more inclined to Alinghi.
All in all most of BOR supporters remind me very much of the Kiwis in 2003, when Alinghi started with RC and his buddies, the traitors, as seen from a NZ perspective. Now Alinghi and SNG are the cheaters.
It is not childish, actually, it is nationalism and wounded pride.
Brad is an evil self righteous bigot. He embraces every lie that suports his twisted beliefs. He is insensitive and hateful. Can you honestly say you agree with his words?
ahhh - that would explain his friendship with Coutts then ?
It appeared that BMW Oracle dare not fight Alinghi nor challengers on water fearing the defeat AC32. Taking advantage of the court in New York is a clear lack of sportsmanship. Its immoral by ignoring the effort of international sailing community. Alinghi is my White Knight on water. Wish u success!
@2:07 AM
At this point I cannot see anything stopping the pissing contest between the two. When the match is over whoever loses will go to court (Yes even the high and mighty "win on the water" Alinghi will go to court if they lose. Remember "We will not appeal" right before they did appeal?) So the pissing contest will go on forever. There is enough bad blood at this point that either side will harbor ill will towards the other forever.
1:17
Pretty nasty stuff why don't you put your name to those comments.
Probably because you are all the things you unfairly accuse Brad of.
Face up or shut up.
A letter just went up a GGYC requesting a retraction of SNG statements about the Singapore meeting.
Basically SNG has been called out in front of those that attented, ISAF & global media.
http://ggyc.com/SNG15Jan2010pg.pdf
Sadly it looks like SNG is digging it's our grave but it's talking down some great sailor like Brad in the process.
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