Eddie Jordan and the one rugby battle he lost
Yesterday at 01:43 PM
REACTION: As tributes pour in for the late Eddie Jordan, the former Formula One team owner has left a few question marks over his foray into Rugby Union.
Jordan was at the centre of the messy equity saga involving the South African Rugby Union and the Ackerley brothers - including allegations of promises of a 15 percent commission.
SARU, in a desperate bid to push the Ackerley Sports Group's equity offer across the line, fell foul of their SA provinces, franchises and government.
The former F1 team boss, Jordan, through an unknown middleman, was said to have connected the Ackerley brothers with SARU.
The amount of smoke and mirrors around SARU's dealings and behaviour caused a major stir when they were questioned by the Sports oversight committee in parliament.
The involvement of disgraced former SARU CEO Jurie Roux - who this past week lost his appeal against the ZAR37-million ruling in the protracted Stellenbosch saga - resulted in members of the oversight committee openly stating their disapproval of the ASG deal.
Through his company Jordan & Associates, Eddie Jordan helped broker a deal for ASG - one that reportedly came with a 15 percent commission for Jordan.
That was reportedly reduced to 10 percent after public outcry before Jordan's spokesperson later claimed to South African media that it was between 2.5 and 3.5 percent.
* Jordan achieved rare success as an independent team owner in the fiercely competitive world of Formula One that he termed mischievously "The Piranha Club".
Jordan F1 made their debut in 1991, winning four grands prix in 15 years in the sport.
Jordan sold his team to Midland in 2005 but remained a prominent figure in motorsport through his work as a TV pundit.
His original team has gone through several incarnations since, including Force India and Racing Point, and now races as Aston Martin.
Aston painted a shamrock on the cars of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll with one of the leaves in the shape of a red heart and "Eddie Jordan" written underneath.
"Paying tribute to Eddie Jordan. From 1991 to 2025. The Jordan Grand Prix legacy lives on," the Aston Martin F1 team wrote on their social media channel with a picture of the logo.
Jordan, who had been battling an aggressive form of prostate cancer before his death, was also a talented musician who played the drums.
"His love of music was legendary," added Horner. "He and his band, they would want to play anywhere.
"He'll just be very sadly missed. I think the sport is a poorer place for not having him around any more."
Jordan handed Michael Schumacher his F1 debut at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, with the German going on to win a record seven world championships.
"The amount of young drivers he gave an opportunity to, he was a great champion of young talents," said Horner.
"Not just drivers, but you know, engineers and technicians and designers, so many people in this paddock owe him a debt of gratitude for the opportunities that he provided.
"So it was a very sad day to learn of his passing."
* Additional reporting AFP
