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Alinghi boss Ernesto Bertarelli says New Zealanders in his sailing crew have been the target of insults from New Zealand fans in Valencia, Spain.
In an interview with the New York Times newspaper, Bertarelli also suggested that Team NZ had shown a lack of gratitude for the financial support he gave to keep them afloat after they lost the America's Cup four years ago.
Alinghi will defend the sport's biggest prize against Team NZ in a best-of-nine showdown beginning on June 24 (NZT).
The two syndicates also met in the last cup match, in Auckland in early 2003, in a contest sailed against the background of the "Loyal" and "Black Heart" campaigns.
The campaigns highlighted the decision of those sailors who stuck with Team NZ, in contrast to a group, including skipper Russell Coutts and tactician Brad Butterworth, who defected to Alinghi just months after the successful defence of 2000.
Coutts has since left Alinghi after falling out with Bertarelli, but Butterworth, now skipper, and others remain.
Bertarelli expressed concern that the mood was turning uglier in Valencia, citing the attitude of New Zealand supporters.
"The aggression toward our Kiwis, I mean, it's seven years now," he said.
"Let it be. Let it go."
Bertarelli also took issue with comments by Team NZ managing director Grant Dalton that the latter intended looking at a return to some sort of nationality rule if the America's Cup returned to New Zealand.
"That basically would put three-quarters of the people around this harbour out of work," Bertarelli said.
"And more surprisingly so. They are probably friends of his, since a lot of teams have Kiwis in their ranks."
Alinghi scrapped citizen and residency requirements after winning the cup, and their 40-member sailing squad are from 11 countries, with the 10 New Zealanders being the largest national group.
Team NZ, meanwhile, sailed with 15 New Zealanders in their 17-strong crew on NZL92 when they beat Italy's Luna Rossa in the Louis Vuitton Cup challengers' final.
"The nationality rule he's speaking about is obviously mainly directed to Alinghi, so I guess that's the "thank you" note for helping him get his team together," Bertarelli said.
In 2004, Bertarelli provided Team NZ with an unsecured multimillion dollar loan because he wanted New Zealand to remain part of the cup.
Dalton, who travelled to Switzerland for a meeting at Bertarelli's request, this week said that the loan, which had been repaid, had been essential.
"We wouldn't exist without it," he told the New York Times.
"There's no buts or maybes about that."
Dalton added : "We will look at nationality, but we haven't made a final decision, compared to what everybody thinks we have."
- NZPA
