Agent dispute with ex-Chelsea director referred to FA
A judge has ruled the case between former Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia and agent Saif Alrubie be referred to the Football Association for arbitration.The proceedings, which centre around Kurt Zouma's move from the Blues to West Ham in 2021, were the subject of a hearing in the High Court almost a fortnight ago.Alrubie is pursuing a case against Granovskaia, who was a leading figure during Roman Abramovich's reign at Stamford Bridge, for her role in the non-payment of commission the agent says he is owed from Zouma's transfer.Chelsea received a fee of £29.1m when selling Zouma.Fifa laws state an agent acting on behalf of a selling club is entitled to up to 10% of a transfer fee, which means Rubie would be owed close to £3m.The most recent court hearing centred around whether the case would remain in the court system or be dealt with by an FA arbitration.The FA's agent regulations say disputes arising out of representation agreements without an international dimension should be "exclusively determined between the parties" under Rule K.Granovskaia was a Chelsea employee at the time of the transfer but has since left her position and no longer has an official role in football.Having left Stamford Bridge in 2022 following Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital's takeover, Granovskaia is no longer categorised as an FA participant, which Alrubie's side argue means the case should have remained a court issue.That could have meant Granovskaia had to disclose details that have so far remained confidential in relation to Zouma's transfer.It may also have resulted in Chelsea having to comply with requests for information the court deemed relevant to the case.But a ruling issued on Friday stipulated the case be dealt with by English football's governing body and confirmed Alrubie should pay Granovskaia's court costs - and £150,000 in account of those costs in 14 days.A spokesman for Alrubie said: "Whilst we would have preferred our claim to be heard in open court, we're satisfied that the High Court judge confirmed that Marina Granovskaia is answerable in these proceedings in her own right. We look forward to pursuing our action for justice via the Rule K arbitration process."A statement from Granovskaia's spokesperson said: "We welcome today's High Court ruling in Ms Granovskaia's favour. "Our position has always been that Mr Rubie's claim is baseless, but that if he wanted to pursue his unmeritorious claim, he should have done so in the proper forum, which the court has confirmed is Rule K arbitration."Last year, a jury cleared Alrubie of sending Granovskaia a threatening email in relation to the Zouma deal, after which he proceeded to open his own civil case.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
31 minutes ago
- The Sun
‘I just wanted to cry' – Alvaro Morata reveals ‘self-destructive' spell and considered faking injury to skip tournament
ALVARO MORATA contemplated faking an injury to avoid playing at Euro 2024. The Spain striker - who captained his country to glory by beating England - bravely opened up on feeling "depressed" and "mentally broken" during his career. 5 5 5 The revelations are made in a new tell-all documentary called Morata: They Don't Know Who I Am, which details the psychological difficulties he has faced. He named Atletico Madrid's defeat to Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League quarter-final in April 2024 as a particular low point. Morata, 32, said: "You start to feel many things in your body and you don't know why or how. "Your legs hurt. Your chest closes up. You can't breathe. I was afraid of going to sleep and not waking up. I was afraid of everything." After fumbling a one-on-one with Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel early in the second leg in Germany, Morata claims he was unable to focus on the game because he kept mentally reliving the opportunity. He said: "I was not able to follow the ball. "We were not losing the game, but in your head, you had blown the chance to reach a Champions League final with Atletico. "When the game was over, I stayed a long time alone in the dressing room. I just wanted to cry. From there, it all began." In the documentary, Morata claims that he "had a very bad time" during his challenging time as a Chelsea player from 2017 to 2019. And he claims the problems escalated after the former Real Madrid academy graduate joined city rivals Atletico. Morata said: "I had many horrible, self-destructive thoughts. "It passed through my head to fake an injury, so I would not have to go [to the Euros]." Morata informed Spain's doctor, Oscar Celada, on the phone that he was unable to attend the tournament. Celada arranged for Morata to talk to former international team-mate Andres Iniesta, who battled depression during his playing career when his close friend and team-mate Dani Jarque passed away in 2009. Morata was assisted by Iniesta in seeing that he could overcome his issues by contributing well to Spain at the Euros in Germany. In the documentary, Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente also claims that he gave Morata something to strive for by telling him that "the team needed him." The programme shows some of Morata's sessions with his psychiatrist, Pilar de Castro-Manglano, in between Euros matches. De Castro-Manglano said: "Alvaro is currently undergoing repair. 5 5 "It's like a ligament had broken, and you have to learn to walk again, to deal with the difficulties of life in a healthy way. Learning to manage life is difficult, even more in elite people who live in the public eye." Throughout his lengthy international career, the enigmatic striker, currently applying his trade at Galatasaray, has frequently been lambasted for his performances by media and fans. Morata said: "Is it worth playing for Spain if everywhere I go with my family, there are unpleasant incidents, with people insulting you and mocking you? 'If you go to stadiums, wearing the Spain jersey, and fans whistle you and abuse you. It's not worth it. "There are many Spain fans who support me, but also many others who don't want me here. But if I retire from international football, they will win." Since making his international debut in 2014, Morata has scored 37 goals in 86 games for Spain. Most recently, he missed the decisive penalty kick as Spain lost to Portugal in a shootout in the Nations League final. He made a suggestion about leaving the international game after the final whistle. He said: "I feel sorry for my teammates, but that's part of life. "I thank the coach for his words. The penalty? I took it badly, I could have done better, but there's nothing I can do about it. Speaking on his possible retirement, Morata added: "I'm only thinking about what happened today, but it's possible I won't be back in September." You're Not Alone EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers. It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes. And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women. Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now. That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign. The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives. Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You're Not Alone. If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
Daily Mirror
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Tommy Fury forgot basic football rule during Soccer Aid - 'Worst I've seen'
With Tyson Fury set to feature at this year's Soccer Aid - he will be hoping not to embarrass himself on the field, unlike his younger brother Tommy Fury was brutally mocked after the Brit attempted an underarm throw-in during last year's Soccer Aid charity match. The professional boxer and reality TV star was part of a World XI managed by ex-Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge. The exhibition match - which helped raise more than £15million for Unicef - went the way of opponents England in a nine-goal thriller. However, the most viral moment came at 2-2. Fury, 26, shaped to take an orthodox throw-in before opting for the underarm delivery. Play was stopped moments later - with the boxer allowing a team-mate to take the throw as they were supposed to. The cameras quickly cut to Pochettino after the incident. Rather than remaining focused on the task at hand, the 53-year-old burst out laughing while gesturing towards the field of play. Needless to say that was probably as good as it got for Fury - who struggled to make an impact on the pitch. At one point, he completely missed the ball after attempting to smash it up the pitch. "It's a throw in Tommy, not bowling," one social media user wrote after watching the footage. "Hasn't been the same since the Jake Paul fight," joked another, referring to Fury's split decision victory over the YouTuber when the pair met in the boxing ring in 2023. His rival KSI quickly posted: " Tommy Fury should stick to boxing lmao, he's terrible at football," he tweeted. Another user posted: "Tommy Fury might be the worst footballer I've ever seen live." Another tweeted: "Tommy Fury is absolutely a** as footballer." A fifth fan commented: "I don't know if this makes sense but Tommy Fury plays football exactly how you'd imagine a boxer how to play football." A sixth joked: "I've had Soccer Aid on for two minutes & Tommy Fury could be the worst footballer I've ever seen." Another said: "Is Tommy fury the least coordinated man in all of human history?" Fury's partner Molly-Mae Hague was also quick to share her thoughts Fury's comical underarm throw-in. She very much saw the funny side of it as she took to her Instagram story to write: "Iconcic x," alongside a picture of Fury holding the ball. Despite being born and raised in Manchester, 'TNT' chose to play for the Rest of the World, as he was eligible through his mother Chantal, who is of Mauritian descent. On Sunday evening, Fury's older brother Tyson is set to co-manage England alongside Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford. 'ENGLAND MANAGER! Who would ever have thought it!? I have had some big fights in my career and the prospect of leading my England team to victory this June fills me with just as much excitement as any heavyweight fight," the 'Gypsy King' said. "Everyone knows that I am a huge Manchester United fan too, so it's even more special for me that the game is at Old Trafford this year – and I get to manage one of my heroes, Wayne Rooney! How can we lose!? The work UNICEF does all around the world is so special and so important. I really hope that you can come along and support us this summer.'
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Surprise Euro club 'enter transfer race' for Celtic ace Taylor
The full-back, 27, is set to end a six-year stay with Celtic this summer after his contract expired in Glasgow. Kieran Tierney has been officially announced as a Celtic player again as he returned from Arsenal, casting doubt over Taylor's position under Brendan Rodgers. The Celtic boss had spoken of his desire to keep Taylor but the left-back is expected to move on with a number of interested clubs. Greek side PAOK looked to be leading the race to sign Taylor but now Champions League club Copenhagen have reportedly signalled their interest. Read more: According to The Scottish Sun, chiefs at the Danish club have shown interest in signing Taylor in a free transfer move. The Danish champions have Birger Meling as an option in the position, but could look to add Taylor this summer with the future of Marcos Lopez unclear. Lopez had been signed on loan last year with Copenhagen holding an option to make the move permanent, but no news on whether the option will be triggered has been released. It's further claimed that two English clubs are interested in Taylor.
