It’s not every day the FEI grabs a jar of jam and spreads it all over its own face, but today is a special day. Below is another guest post from Pippa Cuckson, on the announcement today that the FEI has had a light-bulb moment when it comes to conflict of interest. The announcement, which caused my eyes to pop six inches out of my head, has a slightly misleading title: ‘FEI Bureau to review composition of Endurance Task Force’. A more accurate title would be ‘FEI hastily replaces two members of Endurance task force after legions of fawning members suddenly woke up and smelled the rotten fish’.
Here is Pippa’s post, which begins with a couple of choice excerpts from today’s astonishing FEI press release:
“Throughout the process of seeking a solution to the issues we are facing in endurance we have worked very closely with our National Federations, and when any of them have flagged up something we have taken that on board.
“We have received comments from some NFs that they do not agree with the composition of the Task Force and the Bureau has today agreed to review that following this feedback. Self-policing is a sign of good governance and feedback from our National Federations is important to us.”
When you are in a hole, stop digging. The above rationale was proffered by FEI Secretary General Ingmar De Vos tonight (Tuesday) in an astonishing announcement that Sheikh Mohammed’s aides – Mohammed Essa Al Adhab and lawyer Andrew Holmes – have been dropped from the task force before it has even arranged its first get-together, and that the Sheikh’s financial contribution is no longer deemed appropriate.
The decision was in actuality made in what must have been a tense conference call of the FEI bureau, some of whose members were incensed at being excluded from the original decision; by the damning headlines around the world and a mutinous social media; the public broadside from the Dutch and Swiss federations (who described the spectacularly crass arrangement with the Sheikh as a “collaboration”); and at least one letter from a long-time commentator (not me! but I have seen it) assuring the bureau that an embarrassing retraction now would still be vastly preferable to the perilous path they were proposing.
I still worry that no-one in authority was able to make that judgement call for themselves weeks ago, and so avoid the worldwide furore about the decision to allow Sheikh Mohammed to influence the clean-up of the very crisis his staff and stables have played a pivotal role in creating over a very long period. No-one at FEI HQ appears to be falling on their sword just yet. The FEI often postulates about transparency and has been quick to accuse others of conflict of interest in the past, though only today, for the first time, does it appear to have twigged how this applies to itself.
It’s too early to predict how this public snub of Sheikh Mohammed will shake down, especially in his own country – assuming media coverage trickles through in Dubai and is even believed; his subjects, quite justifiably, have high regard for his economic achievements and humanitarian effort.
Will the FEI’s volte face trigger a withdrawal from Dubai’s participation and funding in equestrianism? Or will he re-group and find another means of ensuring that the high speed sport that the FEI has crazily allowed to take root in the Middle East can continue without compromise? Alas, there is no sign that Dubai endurance riders have entered into the spirit of ESPG prior to the formal adoption of drastic new rules – we are hearing of record fractures during events in March of this year.
I can also imagine that lobbying in Group VII for – and to anyone in Europe, Australia and the Americas who has made a healthy living out of selling the UAE “made” horses – for Sheikh Rashid to win the vote for athletes’ representative on the FEI endurance committee will be re-doubling as we speak.
To what extent, if at all, will this rock the confidence of and in Princess Haya in the run-up to the key April 29 vote on the presidential third term? By coincidence, Swiss financier Pierre Genecand’s confirmed challenge for the FEI presidency got a lot of column inches today.
Meanwhile, at least, the endurance community can take renewed faith that the brave proposals of Andrew Finding’s Endurance Strategic Planning Group will be embraced – even if they struggle to yield results in the short-term – by the replacement task force members: Sheikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa of Bahrain, chairman of FEI group VII, a respected figure in Middle Eastern endurance; and Aachen show organiser Frank Kemperman, who is no stranger to confrontation with the FEI when points of principle are at stake.
The one small link to the Maktoums on the task force remains Alain Storme, Belgian-born, Irish based business partner of the legendary show jumper Paul Darragh who was Princess Haya’s coach and mentor during her own competing days. The FEI’s flurry of press releases over the task force farrago remain very light on detail about who is connected to whom – they have also excluded the Meydan-related provenance of SOBHA, substitute sponsor for the WEG.
But the FEI has done absolutely the right thing, excruciating as it may feel tonight to the relevant parties tonight. Let’s give credit where it’s due. There is no room for gloating – the issues are just too serious.
April 15, 2014 makes its own tiny bit of history as the day the horsemen’s timid voice was heard. We must take courage from that. I am reminded of the joke: “What do you call 100 lawyers chained together at the bottom of the ocean? A Good Start.”
