Ex-Chelsea chief slams ‘ugly side of football’ as agent is cleared

FORMER Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia last night criticised the ‘ugly side of football’ after agent Saif Rubie was cleared of sending her a threatening email. Head bowed as he sat in the dock, Rubie broke down in tears as the jury at Southwark Crown Court delivered its verdict at 1pm yesterday.

Rubie was charged with sending an electronic communication with intent to cause distress after emailing Granovskaia on May 22, 2022, over a payment of £300,000 he believed he was owed as part of Kurt Zouma’s £29.1million move from Chelsea to West Ham in August 2021. The agent denied he had threatened to cause distress to Granovskaia and was found not guilty. He was discharged by Judge David Tomlinson before being embraced by a family member. Rubie said: ‘I’m relieved, my life has been hell for the last two years so I’m glad this chapter is over. ‘It’s been horrible to have been accused of something you didn’t do and for it to have got this far. I’m glad the jury saw this for what it is.’ In her own statement, Granovskaia, who left Chelsea in 2022 following Todd Boehly’s takeover, said: ‘Coming to court to give evidence was an extremely difficult decision. ‘I am an intensely private person, but I was willing to do my part to ensure that no one else — particularly no woman — was ever made to feel as I did upon receiving his email. ‘There are things I miss about football — my colleagues and counterparts, including some wonderful and decent agents, the players, the spirit of Chelsea, and, of course, winning trophies. One thing I do not miss is the difficult and ugly side of football.’ Rubie says he has opened civil proceedings against Granovskaia.