Source:
https://scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1870593/foot-mouth-no-problem-when-you-make-billions-formula-one-supremo Other Sport
Foot in mouth? No problem when you make billions like Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone
F1 is a lucrative sports brand and despite his flaws, the kingmaker is keeping it ticking along very nicely
Formula One kingmaker Bernie Ecclestone was wily enough to heap praise on Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi earlier this month. Photo: EPA
What is it about sports administrators nowadays? Football is all of a tizz. Fifa is in the mire with president Sepp Blatter and European boss Michel Platini both suspended and handfuls of other figures being investigated by the police.
In Formula One we have Bernie Ecclestone, 85, and the kingmaker in the sport for as long as most people can remember. He continues to run F1 despite what you could argue is a history that in any other line of work might see you being shown the door.
He's already had to pay out £60 million (HK$718 million) to end a German bribery trial. In the past he's also described women as "domestic appliances" and spoke about Adolf Hitler's ability to "get things done". Now he's stirred up a hornets' nest again. After the Russian Grand Prix, he praised Blatter and said he should stay in his Fifa role.
He told the Russian television station RT: "I don't think he should have ever stepped down, and I don't think he should have been challenged. Because of him we have a lot of countries around the world playing football. And if these people allegedly have been corrupted to make things happen in their country, it's good. It's a tax football had to pay".
RT is a mouthpiece for the Russian regime and Ecclestone was wily enough to heap praise on President Vladimir Putin, saying he was, "Super, I'm his best supporter".
Bernie Ecclestone hammed it up by wearing a traditional local Caucasian outfit in the paddock during a free practice session in Sochi ... all in the name of playing to his audience and drumming up more profits in a new market. Photo: AP
Playing to his audience, he said: "I'm not very enthusiastic about America. They are a big island, so they are a bit isolated." Let's look forward to a big warm Texas welcome for Bernie.
Unless you are a Russian patriot or a member of Blatter's family, the likelihood is that you are going to be a bit steamed up hearing the little man's latest pronouncements. You may think the man's an idiot, but of course he's far from it.
He's maximising his profit by cultivating new markets. Whether you are aghast at what he says and does, it's quite refreshing to hear from somebody in sport who's not been media trained to make only inane comments.
What's the problem with a few embarrassing quotes or situations if you're laughing all the way to the bank, just like Bernie Ecclestone. Photo: EPA
A bribery conviction in Germany last year probably would have been enough to see Ecclestone go, but he made it go away. All he has to do is keep the confidence of F1's owners, CVC. There has been talk of a sale, which could spell the end for the Briton. His age could eventually also take things out of his hands.
Blatter must look at Ecclestone with envy. Fifa is a tainted organisation, but it is a group of associations - a democracy of sorts, no matter how flawed. F1 may come under the umbrella of the FIA, but it's a commodity. Like all businesses, this one cares more about the bottom line than anything else. As long as Ecclestone keeps that ticking along, don't expect him to go anywhere soon.