Team Germany to part ways with Schuemann
BERLIN (AFP) — Team Germany, the proposed German challenge for the next America's Cup, will reduce its operation costs and not extend the contract of sport director Joechen Schuemann, according to a report to appear here on Monday.
Team Germany's owner Michael Scheeren told Monday's edition of German magazine Focus Schumann's contract is one of several which will not be extended, partly due to the cup's legal dispute in an American court.
"A certain number of contracts, including Jochen Schuemann's, expires on March 31 and we will not be extended," said Scheeren.
"We cannot continue to finance a large team without knowing more about where the America's Cup will take place in 2011," added Scheeren with the venue for the 33rd America's Cup currently under dispute.
Team Germany had carried out an ambitious recruitment drive by acquiring the services of Polish cox Karol Jablonski and Schuemann, as sports director, after two victorious campaigns at Alinghi.
Car manufacturers Audi and Porsche have committed themselves to heavy investments in the team which counted on an annual budget of 20 million euros (29 million US dollars).
But a New York court has postponed its decision until next week in a case between America's Cup champions Alinghi and American syndicate Oracle over the next edition of yachting's premier event.
A lawyer for the Swiss, Lucien Masmejan, said the court was still studying the validity of Oracle's bid to organise a catamaran duel between the two teams in October 2008.
In July, Oracle filed a lawsuit in the US against Alinghi's decision to name Spain's Desafio as its official challenger of record, which gave it the right to negotiate the Cup format with the Swiss syndicate.
In November the New York court ruled in favour of Oracle and said the US team should be Alinghi's challenger of record, but Alinghi then asked the court to re-examine its ruling.
The next edition of yachting's showpiece event was originally planned for 2009 in the Spanish Mediterranean port of Valencia, which staged the 2007 contest, but the legal wrangle has forced a postponement.
