The Dutch Football Federation is to investigate Chelsea’s links with Vitesse Arnhem. This follows a claim by their former owner that executives at Stamford Bridge had told the Dutch club not to qualify for the Champions League.
The Dutch Football Federation is to investigate Chelsea’s links with Vitesse Arnhem. This follows a claim by their former owner that executives at Stamford Bridge had told the Dutch club not to qualify for the Champions League.
The exact ownershp structure at Vitesse is something of a mystery since a takeover last year in which Alexander Chigrinksi, a Russian billionaire, bought out Georgian businessman Merab Jordania. He initially stayed on as chairman, but has been banned from the ground and training facility after allegations that he had threatened to cut off the fingers of the club’s chief executive.
The two clubs have a close relationship with seven Chelsea players having spent part of this season on loan at Vitesse. Chelsea dismiss the allegations as nonsense. They would see it as in their interests for Vitesse to succeed in order to give Chelsea’s loan players access to a higher standard of football.