FMSCI removes Vijay Mallya as chairman

Chennai: Beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya, who is facing charges of defrauding banks, has been removed as chairman of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI). The decision was taken at a recent meeting of the FMSCI councillors.

Mallya had been holding the non-executive post for more than a decade. The FMSCI hasn’t announced his successor yet.

Mallya, however, continues to be India’s representative in FIA’s World Motor  Sport Council (WMSC) as FMSCI titular head even though his passport had been revoked by the Indian government and he has been in exile  in the UK since March last year.

For the past year, the FMSCI has been on the list of sports ministry-backed national sports federations and it has to comply with government guidelines.

An FMSCI source said if Mallya is removed from the FIA titular post, India would lose its representation in the all-important council.

“Anyway, Mallya is not attending meetings outside the UK. It’s Vicky Chandhok, deputy titular, who is representing the FMSCI. The federation would decide on Mallya’s titular position when it comes up for renewal,” said the source.

A former racer and co-owner of Force India F1 team, Mallya’s association with motorsport goes back a long way. Incidentally, the flamboyant tycoon’s last public appearance in India was at the FMSCI annual awards function in New Delhi before he left the country in 2016.