Nepotism at Dorna? - Carmelo Ezpeleta Fends Off Serious Accusations
Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta again defends himself against allegations of nepotism. For the Spaniard, only the individuals’ qualifications count.
After signing his nephew Tome Alfonso, Dorna boss Carmelo Ezepeleta has to defend himself again against accusations of nepotism.
Carmelo Ezpeleta and Tome Alfonso – Image provided by Motorsport Images
With meanwhile two more high positions within Dorna, the Ezpeleta family gained more and more influence.
The signing of Tome Alfonso comes with a stale aftertaste despite the Spaniard’s high qualifications. The accusations against the Ezpeleta clan do not come out of the blue.
Alongside Carlos Ezpeleta, MotoGP sports director, and Ana Ezpeleta, who is responsible for various junior classes in MotoGP, Alfonso is now the third member of Carmelo Ezepleta’s family to hold an influential position.
The Dorna boss defended himself against the accusations in an interview with the Spanish colleagues of motorsport.com.
In particular, the signing of Tome Alfonso is a thorn in the side of the Spaniard. It had nothing to do with him, he said.
“Tome’s appointment is in the hands of the FIM. The world federation chooses a suitable person to homologate the tracks.”
Ezpeleta points to the qualifications of his nephew and the words of FIM chief Jorge Viergas.
“If someone knows a person as qualified as Tome to do this job, he should be presented to us. Tome has run three circuits: Qatar, Aragon and Sokol. Nobody had any complaints.”
As with his son Carlos, it’s the qualifications and not the name that matter.
“In Tome’s case, it’s the words of Viegas. And in Carlos’ case, they are mine. We need qualified people.”
“Anyone who knows someone with their knowledge should introduce them to us and we will hire them.”
