- Agent Saif Rubie is accused of sending Marina Granovskaia a threatening email
- The executive left the club after the acquisition in 2022 by the consortium led by Todd Boehly
- Phil Foden reveals what it’s REALLY like to play for Pep Guardiola in an It’s All Kicking Off special. Listen Spotify, Apple or anywhere you get your podcasts
Football Officer Saif Rubie has denied intentionally threatening then-Chelsea manager Marina Granovskaia, saying doing so would have been a “suicide mission”, the court heard.
On a dramatic day at Southwark Crown Court, Rubie, accused of sending a threatening email to Granovskaia in his efforts to recover what he believed was a £300,000 payment for his role in Kurt Zouma’s move from Chelsea to West Ham in the summer of 2021, refuted claims that he intended to cause stress or anxiety to the former Blues supreme, saying doing so would amount to a “suicide mission” given his links to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. previous owner of Stamford Bridge.
Rubie said: “I’m emailing a woman who is the right-hand woman of Roman Abramovich, one of the biggest Russian businessmen in the world. I’m just Saif Rubie… I’m a small agent.
“I don’t think I’d be stupid enough to threaten anyone, much less someone with the power of Roman Abramovich (behind them). That would just be me on a suicide mission. I’m not that stupid.
Rubie, 45, also revealed in court that he has filed a civil lawsuit against Granovskaia for breach of contract.
Football agent Saif Rubie has allegedly demanded payment for his role in Kurt Zouma’s transfer to the Hammers.
On Tuesday, former Chelsea manager Marina Granovskaia said she felt “physically threatened” by Rubie’s email.
Kurt Zouma’s £29.1m move to West Ham from Chelsea in 2021 is at center of trial
On Tuesday, Granovskaia said she felt “physically threatened” by Rubie’s email, which referred to an incident involving officer Kia Joorabchian when Rubie’s associates reportedly took her watch over payment issues. .
However, in the agreed facts of the case read in court by prosecutor Arizuna Asante on Wednesday, it emerged that police found no link between that incident and Rubie saying Joorabchian never mentioned Rubie’s name at the time. Rubie’s name does not appear in the crime report.
In another intriguing development, it was confirmed yesterday that Joorabchian, who was due to give evidence at the trial, would not be attending because he had flown to the United States. Joorabchian also told police that he was not feeling well.