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A bit of friction is formingJune 14, 2007 A bit of friction has been building between Alinghi and Team New Zealand over the last couple of days in preparation of the America's Cup finals. Ernesto Bertarelli, the billionaire owner of the Alinghi team, said some harsh words against the NZ team management in an interview for the New York Times and then proceeded to accuse some New Zealand fans of behaving badly by putting down their fellow countrymen (the ones which are racing for Alinghi). Mr. Bertarelli accused NZ skipper Grant Dalton of showing a lack of gratitude for the loan that was granted to the NZ yachting syndicate which helped them to mount a challenge for the 32nd America's Cup. It seems that the harsh words may have been in retaliation for an earlier interview in which Dalton suggested reintroducing a nationality clause into the Americas Cup rules if Team New Zealand win the competition this year. There has some bitterness between the two teams ever since the NZ-skippered Swiss Alinghi team won the cup off Team New Zealand in 2003. But this latest war of words may just be a ploy to upset the other team. |