After the loss to PSG in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Chelsea faces another challenge. The English club, which provides financial support to Dutch team Vitesse Arnhem, is accused by former managers of distorting the Dutch championship.
Merab Jordania, former president of Vitesse, stated to the daily De Telegraaf on Wednesday that Chelsea’s management prevented Vitesse Arnhem from winning the Dutch championship. According to Jordania, Chelsea and Vitesse cannot both participate in the Champions League due to UEFA regulations prohibiting financially linked clubs from competing in the same tournament. “In Arnhem, it is indeed Chelsea who holds the reins,” added Ted van Leeuwen, the club’s former technical director, on Thursday, according to the ANP press agency. “Chelsea covers part of Vitesse’s payroll and loans several players. Chelsea’s priority is the development of these players, not Vitesse winning the championship,” he said.
This season, players like Lucas Piazon, Bertrand Traore, Patrick van Aanholt, and Christian Atsu are on loan from Chelsea to Vitesse, while Gaël Kakuta and Sam Hutchinson were on loan until January. Despite being neck and neck with Ajax Amsterdam in the Eredivisie standings, Vitesse has won only three of its last eleven matches, falling behind in the league table. The team, coached by Peter Bosz, currently sits in 3rd position, trailing Ajax by 12 points and out of contention for the championship. The club’s management, owned by Russian Alexander Tsjigirinski (associated with Roman Abramovich, Chelsea’s president), dismissed Jordania’s claims as “jealousy-fueled lies.” The Dutch Federation stated on its website that it seeks “clarification on Mr. Jordania’s allegations.”
Tags: accusation, Ajax Amsterdam, Alexander Tsjigirinski, championship, Chelsea, football, Merab Jordania, Netherlands, Vitesse Arnhem
