Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/800760
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 19 MARCH 2017 53 FORMER Formula One su- premo Bernie Ecclestone has revealed he wanted to remain working in the sport but under- stands why he was replaced after new owners Liberty Media com- pleted their takeover. Ecclestone had been expected to remain in the chief execu- tive role he filled under previ- ous commercial rights owners CVC Capital partners but was replaced by American Chase Carey following the takeover in January. The new owners installed Ross Brawn and Sean Bratches to control sporting and commer- cial matters respectively, with the 86-year-old Ecclestone in- stead being offered the new role of chairman emeritus. Ecclestone told Sky Sports News HQ he understood why the American owners had made their decisions even if he did not agree with them. He said: "I would have asked them to work with me for a bit, wait for a year and afterwards say, 'Has it worked, not worked?', 'Not worked? Sorry, you'll have to leave', or whatever. "But different people operate companies differently, obvious- ly. I think this is very much the way American companies oper- ate. Let's be absolutely sensible about it: they bought the car, they wanted to drive it." Asked about not being asked to stay on for up to three years as expected, Ecclestone added: "Well, I think there's been a change of heart. They wanted Chase to be chief executive. Whatever they wanted I was happy to do. "I think these people have thought and said, and Chase has said, I hadn't done a very good job in the last three years. "I thought I had, CVC thought I had. I'd managed to produce one and a half billion dollars a year income which made their shares worth a lot of money. Maybe if I'd done a lousy job people could have bought the shares cheaper." Ecclestone admitted he had no idea what the role of chairman emeritus entailed. "I'd like some rules and regula- tions perhaps so I know what I'm supposed to do, or not supposed to do," he said. "The only thing Chase has asked me to do, as he knows I'm going to Brazil this weekend, is to chat to the president to see if he will put some money into the race in Brazil. Otherwise it's possible we are going to lose that race, which I wouldn't like to do as I put it there 45-odd years ago and it's a good race." FORMULA 1 SNOOKER Sport Stuart Bingham charged with breach of betting rules Bernie Ecclestone wanted more time in the sport Bernie Ecclestone FORMER world snooker cham- pion Stuart Bingham has said he will accept whatever punishment comes his way after admitting he broke the sport's betting rules. Bingham, 40, was charged on Wednesday with a breach of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) regulations. WPBSA rules bar players from betting on any aspect of sanc- tioned tournaments, or from en- couraging others to do so if it is deemed to be to the player's di- rect or indirect benefit. Although the organisation stressed the alleged offence does not entail match manipulation or corruption, it was determined that Bingham had a case to an- swer. Bingham said on his own web- site: "This was just a case of me not being clear on the rules. "I did not know I was not al- lowed to bet on other players' matches, I thought it was just my own I could not bet on, and I have never done that. "I have nothing to hide on the matter and have co-operated fully with the investigation and I now await the outcome." Bingham could be fined or face a ban, or both. One possi- ble yardstick for the punishment coming his way is the fine of £5,000 and six-month suspended ban handed to fellow profession- al Alfie Burden in January for similar offences. Speaking in The Times, Bing- ham added: "There have been enquiries going on over the last few weeks. I have used another account to place bets on snooker matches. "It is similar to what Alfie Bur- den did, but I have never bet against myself, and never been involved in any match-fixing or corruption. I did some accumu- lators, and used someone else's account. It was boredom, really. "It looks as if I have got it wrong, it was stupid, and I wasn't aware enough of the rules. "I have fully co-operated with the enquiries and will continue to do so. "But basically I did it, I can't change that, and will have to take whatever is coming. We have to be seen to be whiter than white." Bingham was a surprise win- ner of the World Championship in 2015 and is currently ranked third in the world. He won the Welsh Open last month, beating Judd Trump in the final. Bingham's case is unlikely to be heard until May at the earliest, given the length of time it takes the WPBSA to process such mat- ters of discipline. That means he should be clear to head into the World Champi- onship, which starts in Sheffield on April 15, without the distrac- tion of a hearing in the run-up. It is understood there are no- table distinctions between his case and that involving Burden, meaning it is not a foregone con- clusion that a similar punish- ment would be handed out. While Burden was not repre- sented when his case was heard, Bingham is expected to have legal guidance when he appears before the WPBSA disciplinary committee. In the meantime, Bingham is due to play at the China Open, which begins in Beijing on March 27. Former world snooker champion Stuart Bingham