 Coutts is the most successful sailor in America's Cup history |
Team Alinghi have sacked skipper Russell Coutts, who led them to victory in the America's Cup last year, because of "violations of his duties". The Swiss team said Coutts' refusal to sail for them in several regattas broke the terms of his contract.
Coutts admitted he had fallen out with Alinghi owner Ernesto Bertarelli but said he was shocked by the news.
"I was surprised to receive a brief phone call from Ernesto Bertarelli's lawyers," said Coutts.
He added that he was unhappy with Bertarelli's management style and the direction of the team.
"These concerns were based on my experience as a skipper and in a leadership role in my last three America's Cup campaigns," Coutts said.
"They centered on aspects of management that I had found in my own leadership experience to be successful."
Coutts had sparked speculation he would quit the Swiss team after failing to take his place on the team's SUI 64 yacht at the regatta in Newport, Rhode Island last month.
 |  Coutts manoeuvred himself into an inextricable conflict of interest |
The New Zealander said the reason he did make himself available was because it would limit his chances of finding another team for the next America's Cup in Spain. Concern that Coutts was already involved with another team also fuelled Alinghi's decision to end his spell at the helm.
"Team Alinghi is left with no choice but to terminate its contract with Russell Coutts. Repeated violations of his duties resulted in Coutts's dismissal," Alinghi Holdings said in a statement.
"Russell Coutts specifically refused to helm Alinghi in Newport, United States, whereas he was requested to do so.
"He also decided not to sail with the Team Alinghi crew at recent regattas, namely in Marstrand, Sweden, Trieste, Italy and in Lisbon, Portugal, where the regattas are about to commence.
"This constitutes a clear violation of his employment contract."
Coutts is the most successful sailor in America's Cup history.
An Olympic gold medallist at Los Angeles in 1984, he also steered New Zealand's Black Magic to victory in the America's Cup in San Diego in 1995.
He then orchestrated the Cup's defence in Auckland in 2000 before defecting to Alinghi, financed by Bertarelli, a Swiss bio-technology billionaire.
Two years later, Alinghi whitewashed Team New Zealand 5-0 to become the first challengers in history to win the America's Cup at their first attempt.
It was Europe's first success in the event's 152-year history.
Peter Holmberg and Jochen Schuemann remain as Alinghi's two other helmsmen ahead of the 2007 America's Cup.
MMIX
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 