On Friday, Queens Park Rangers probably got some really good news, as after months of turmoil that have seen the West London club plunge to the lower reaches of the Championship table, their chairman Flavio Briatore stepped aside from his role. With his Formula One future looking doomed, has sport now lost one of its most colourful figures of recent times?
Briatore took over QPR in 2007, as part of a consortium that also included fellow Formula 1 supremo, Bernie Ecclestone. Together, they promised Rangers a load of cash and the glory land of Premier League football, something the club hasn’t experienced since relegation from the top-flight way back in 1996. The heady days of Les Ferdinand banging in the goals on a regular basis and top-half finishes in the Premiership’s inaugural years seem a long time ago. True, money was given to spend for managers, but stability was something the Loftus Road club has not being able to achieve, with alarming results. Nowadays, managers aren’t given a load of time to stamp their authority on a club, with Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes and Arsene Wenger the only three managers still at their current clubs at the end of 2002. However, QPR were sacking managers quicker than glue was sticking to paper. Briatore has often been known to have a short fuse and a lack of patience with people, but the way he was running the club was ridiculous. It was seen to him more of a business venture, than a football club.
His dismissal of Jim Magilton before Christmas was an absolutely scandalous decision. Magilton, who had stabilised Ipswich for several seasons, without taking them to the next level had steered Rangers into the Championship playoffs by late October, playing some very attractive football in the process. However, it went sour very quickly and a bust-up with playmaker Akos Buzasky after a dismal display in a Sky televised game down at Watford was the final straw. Briatore got involved, when he didn’t need too and suspended Magilton, sacking him shortly afterwards. Paul Hart barely lasted five minutes and now, Mick Harford is in temporary charge, QPR’s 10th manager in less than two years. No wonder why no-one wants to manage there, it’s a poisoned chalice! Saturday 2-1 win over Doncaster Rovers should see the club move away from the relegation zone, which could have disastrous consequences for the club, should the unthinkable happen, but they have a long way to go, if they want to achieve Briatore’s initial ambition. He may remain on the board at QPR, but without a leading role, the club may now have the chance to look forward to a brighter future.
Briatore’s Formula 1 days look numbered too, after one of the most disgraceful cheating episodes in sporting history. With Renault threatening to pull out of the sport, following a couple of years in the doldrums, Briatore took action that would have severe ramifications for many. On Lap 14 of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, rookie Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet had an accident that brought out the Safety Car. This led to the benefit of his team-mate, Fernando Alonso and the double world champion went on from 15th on the grid to win F1’s first ever night race, in controversial circumstances. Renault remained in the sport, but Briatore’s actions were soon going to come back and bite him hard. Last summer, Piquet was axed after a string of poor performances in the Renault and then went public about the events of that weekend in Singapore. The FIA investigated, Briatore fell on his sword and quit Renault, along with Director of Engineering Pat Symonds. However, it didn’t stop Flavio getting a lifetime ban from the sport he truly loves. This has been overturned on appeal, but with the matter still unresolved, Flavio faces some anxious times infront of him. For somebody who spearheaded Michael Schumacher’s rise to fame, and Alonso’s double championship success in 2005/2006, it seems unthinkable that he won’t be around on the Grand Prix grid anymore.
To sum up, Flavio Briatore is damaged goods and he faces a long and stressful battle if he is to return to a premier stage in sport. Sadly, he looks like a very finished article.
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