On the eve of the first act of the 32nd edition of the America's Cup, Ernesto Bertarelli, the boss of Alinghi, explained in an interview to the Swiss newspaper "l'Hebdo" why he had to separate from Russell Coutts.

Until now, Ernesto Bertarelli has remained silent, swallowing attacks and criticisms because he did not want to engage in a "ping-pong match" with someone who had been his friend.

"If I refrained from explaining myself until now, it is because I know from experience that it is very hard, under these circumstances, to win against a Russell Coutts. I am cast in the role of the evil man, I am financing the team and because of my wealth, in the eyes of the public, I am the one with the upper hand."

Here are short excerpts ...

"It was clear from the beginning that if we were to win the Cup, we would create two operational companies: Team Alinghi that would be in charge of the team, reporting to Russell, and America's Cup Management (ACM) headed by Michel Bonnefous, which would be in charge of managing the event. It was Russell himself who defended this idea, which is why his subsequent about-face puzzles me. When he says he was not allowed to define the design of the boats, that's not true."

"After the victory in Auckland, I gave him all the reins to repeat our success in 2007. But in Newport in late June, when he refused to come aboard, I was obliged to admit that there was a problem and that he was looking for a way to leave us".

"When he returned from his vacation in February, I began to realize that he was no longer committed to Alinghi. He came to my office and told me: "I am not motivated any more, I won the Cup three times, I have other projects, I would like to quit the team. He gave me his resignation, but I refused to accept it.".

"I gave him everything. He had total control on Alinghi. He was the one who decided to forego the operational aspects in order to satisfy his economic needs."

"Russell Coutts's salary ranks among the top 20 in Switzerland. He is as well-paid as the greatest football stars of today. I cannot divulge the terms of the contract, but you'd be shocked. His salary does not lag behind that of the main Swiss CEO's".

"The truth is that with Michel Bonnefous, our interest lies in preparing a beautiful event in 2007, while Russell Coutts wanted to make a lot of money. In November, he already received 75% of the enormous salary we agreed upon for the 2007 Cup."

"Russell Coutts and Alinghi Holding will find themselves in court. I will fight with all my strength to defend principles of integrity and loyalty. If people understand this, great; if not, too bad. But I know that this is the only way to build the future and to protect the team."