The agent who was cleared of sending a threatening email to former Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia has launched a legal case against her and the club that could cost millions of pounds.
Telegraph Sport can reveal that Saif Alrubie has filed a claim at London Circuit Commercial Court, more than four months after he was cleared of malicious communications at Southwark Crown Court.
In a statement to Telegraph Sport today, he said the club’s new owners, primarily American investors Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly, must “right this wrong” over the sums owed to him by Alrubie for the transfer of former Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma.
Rubie said: “The last two and a half years have been incredibly difficult. As a fan of Chelsea FC, and having had a productive business relationship with the club over a number of years, I am saddened to have been forced to take this step.
“I sincerely hope that we can find a solution to this problem that is long overdue. I hope that Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali and Chelsea FC take the necessary steps to right this wrong and close this chapter so that all parties can move forward.”
Alrubie claimed after the court case that he was entitled to “10 times” the £300,000 commission he had demanded from Granovskaia over Zouma’s move from Chelsea to West Ham United, which his attempts to claw back landed him in court. The court heard in April that Alrubie operated under the agreement that he would receive commission on any compensation received over €30 million as an intermediary in the deal.
In April he told talkSPORT: “The £300,000 was actually a figure I was prepared to accept because I didn’t know all the facts and the truth about the transfer fee was kept from me.
“The judge in the trial established all the facts, thank God. The law of the land is above any law and I’m just glad that that confirmed everything I had to go through and that the facts were black and white.”
When asked if he would claim millions of pounds, he replied: “As I said, my lawyers will deal with that, plus the interest, plus the rest.”
Alrubie burst into tears after being found innocent and hugged his family members and acquaintances.
Granovskaia, meanwhile, released a statement saying: “Coming to court to give evidence in the Crown’s case against Mr Alrubie was an extremely difficult decision. I am a deeply private person, but I was prepared to do my part to ensure that no one else – and particularly no woman – would ever feel the same way I did when I received his email, a feeling that this trial has reignited.
“I also wanted to testify when I received messages of support from colleagues and staff in football following the news of Mr Alrubie’s arrest, including from people who have dealt with him over the years.”
Alrubie’s email was sent in May 2022, shortly before Granovskaia was sent on garden leave by Chelsea following the club’s takeover. He was arrested at Heathrow upon arriving on a flight from Brussels in September 2022.
Granovskaia’s statement added: “There are things I miss about football: my colleagues and peers, including some great and decent agents; the players; the Chelsea spirit; and of course winning trophies. One thing I don’t miss is the difficult and ugly side of football. I will not comment further on this.”
The email Alrubie sent, dated May 22, 2022, related to Zouma’s £29.1 million move to West Ham from Chelsea in August 2021, of which £4.1 million went to the defender in severance pay, and Alrubie’s claim that he and his associates were entitled to £300,000 in commission.
In the email, Alrubie said: “I’m sure you’ve heard the story about your other friend Kia [Joorabchian] when he owed me money for a year and how he finally paid it. I don’t want you to be in the same situation just because you have a personal problem with me.”
Chelsea and representatives for Granovskaia and Alrubie have all been approached for comment.
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