Quote:
Originally Posted by djinvicta
Don't think we can "write off" Vijay yet. Money "talks" in every Country and the UK has not agreed to turn him over to India yet.
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from a legal standpoint the British gov't may not be able to compel Mallya to leave the UK (as a resident of the UK he does have certain rights) but from a political standpoint i dont think any court or politician is willing to be associated with helping a wealthy person avoid answering accusations of money laundering and/or improper use of tax dollars.
maybe its just good (or bad depending on your viewpoint) timing due to the proximity of the release of the 'Panama Papers'.
public perception has changed to the point where i dont think the UK can afford to be seen as a haven for Non Resident Indians hiding from the Indian gov't.
but if he does find a legal reason to compel the UK gov't into letting him stay, his remaining as the team principle for an F1 team must come to an end.
again public perception has changed and allowing VM to maintain his role with the team only serves to reinforce what many now think about F1...its a play thing for the super rich which in and of itself has become an offensive paradigm but doubly so given how much money they want and need from the fans to help subsidize the activities of those same wealthy people.
up until recently, F1's allure of exclusivity and a playground for the super wealthy romanticized the sport...today it is a reason for people to stay away and with TV numbers falling so much im not sure how much leeway F1 has (or how much sense it makes) in protecting VM's position.
imo F1 needs to get ahead of this scandal and ask him to step down in his role as team principle. they probably should have done it a long time ago really.
so i agree money does talk and VM's inclusion makes it harder for FOM/CVC to make money.