The decision by Swiss Cycling to revoke its nomination of Pat McQuaid to run for UCI president appears to have taken the Irishman by surprise this evening, though he still has other options to enable him contest next month's election.
Pat McQuaid’s bid to secure a third term in office as UCI president has taken a blow tonight with news that the Swiss cycling federation has decided to withdraw its nomination of the Irishman to contest the election.
The move comes just two days before a hearing on the issue was due to take place in Zurich and appeared to catch McQuaid by surprise.
When contacted by stickybottle this evening for comment on reports that the Swiss had revoked the nomination, McQuaid said he had received no communication from the Swiss and as far as he was concerned Thursday’s hearing was going ahead. He made similar statements to other outlets.
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However, he later said the reports of the nomination having been revoked appeared to be true.
McQuaid had initially been nominated to run for election in April by the board of Cycling Ireland. But it emerged the meeting where the vote took place had not been convened properly. And by the time the board met again two weeks later, such had been the backlash against the nomination that the board decided to put the matter to an EGM of the association’s members, which was held in June.
However, before that meeting took place McQuaid announced he had secured the backing of Swiss Cycling to run for election, which apparently rendered meaningless the outcome of the vote in Ireland. When the vote took place at the Irish EGM, McQuaid lost.
Around the same time, it emerged that a legal challenge had begun to Swiss Cycling’s backing of the Irishman. Three general members of the federation took that challenge along with the Skins clothing company whose chairman Jamie Fuller has long been an outspoken critic of McQuaid.
While the challengers had already made their case to Swiss Cycling, a meeting was due to be held on the matter on Thursday. McQuaid had made plans to attend it.
However, it has now emerged that Swiss Cycling has decided to revoke its backing of the Irishman and has begun a process of trying to resolve the issue of legal costs with the three claimants.
It had been rumoured from the outset of the challenge that it was weighing heavily on the financial resources of Swiss Cycling.
Speaking on the Irish radio station Newstalk FM this evening, Tuesday, Fuller suggested the financial side was a big factor for Swiss Cycling. He said the cost of the hearing going ahead on Thursday was 100,000 francs, or just over €81,000, for each side; €162,000 combined.
“We committed to pay half. Swiss Cycling refused to pay their half,” he said.
“If this had gone to a hearing (and Swiss Cycling lost) not only would they be liable for their 100,000 francs, they’d also be liable for our legal costs.”
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The revoking of the Swiss backing and the decision by Cycling Ireland members to reject McQuaid are very embarrassing for the former international rider. Seeking the backing of both was effectively a belt and braces approach, but one that has slowly unraveled in recent months.
However, while McQuaid’s bid to secure the UCI top job ahead of the only other candidate – British Cycling president Brian Cookson – may have been dealt a blow, it is not a fatal one. The Irishman has a second belt and braces contingency to fall back on.
It has emerged in recent weeks that the Malaysian cycling federation has put forward a proposal that would allow any two federations to effectively come together and nominate any candidate to run for the UCI presidency. Currently a candidate can only be nominated by his/her federation.
The proposal will be voted on at the UCI congress in September at the World Road Race Championships, Florence. The UCI has also said that if passed, the motion would be backdated to the current period. It means two nations can come together now to nominate McQuaid and that nomination would be permitted for the purposes of enabling McQuaid to run for the September election.
The Moroccan and Thai cycling federations have indicated they are nominating the Irishman.
McQuaid has recently said that even if the Malaysian proposal is defeated in September, he can still run with the backing of the Moroccans and Thais.
He has dismissed as inaccurate media reports claiming a candidate can only be nominated under current rules by their home federation – in his case Ireland – or the federation where they reside – in his case Switzerland. He suggested recently that under the UCI’s current rules a candidate can be nominated by “the federation of the candidate”. He says this means any federation he is a member of can nominate him.
He has further disclosed in recent weeks that he is a member of the Thai and Moroccan federations, as well as a number of others, and that both the Moroccans and Thais nominated him before the initial closing date for nominations in mid June.
Cookson has challenged him to prove both federations nominated him before the deadline and said British Cycling is challenging McQuaid’s assertions in that regard.
However, it would now seem that anyone wishing to challenge McQuaid’s right to run for election next month will need to challenge the eligibility of the Thais and Moroccans – and any other federations – to have nominated him before the initial deadline for nominations, which closed in June. And his opponents would also need to challenge the attempt to backdate the Malaysian proposal in the event it is passed.
Many observers tip McQuaid to win the vote as long as he gets to run, meaning the legal process between now and the election will likely prove crucial; though his winning of the vote next month is far from certain. There also remains the prospect that McQuaid may run and win, only for that victory to be challenged after the election.
And there is still the prospect that other federations McQuaid says he is a member of may also have nominated him before the deadline, but that support may not have been disclosed yet.
For example, the fact the Thais and Moroccans nominated him before the initial deadline has only emerged very recently, raising the prospect that similar declared support from other federations may still be under wraps.
Rumours are rife that a number of federations are planning to come together to challenge the validity of the backdating of the Malaysian proposal and the efforts by Thailand and Morocco to nominate McQuaid.
Still plenty of twists and turns to come in this one.....
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