The agent cleared of sending a threatening email to former Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia has lodged a lawsuit against her and the club.
Saif Alrubie has filed a multi-million-pound claim with the London Circuit Commercial Court over fees he alleges are still owed to him as part of Kurt Zouma’s £30million transfer from the Blues to West Ham in August 2021.
Alrubie was found not guilty of malicious communications four months ago at Southwark Crown Court with Granovskaia criticising the ‘ugly side of football’.
The intermediary was charged with a single count of sending an electronic communication with an intent to cause distress after emailing Granovskaia on May 22, 2022, over a payment of £300,000 he believes he was owed from Zouma’s move.
He denied he had threatened to cause distress and broke down in tears after the verdict, admitting that his life had ‘been hell’ during the case.
Saif Alrubie has filed a lawsuit against Chelsea and former club director Marina Granovskaia
Alrubie was found not guilty of sending a threatening email to Granovskaia in May 2022
Rubie has now said Chelsea’s owners should ‘right this wrong’ over the alleged outstanding payment and mentioned Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali by name.
Alrubie told The Telegraph: ‘The last two and a half years have been incredibly difficult. As a fan of Chelsea, and having had a productive business relationship with the club over a number of years, I am saddened I have been forced to take this step.
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Ex-Chelsea chief Marina Granovskaia slams ‘ugly side of football’ as agent Saif Rubie is found not guilty of sending her a threatening email
‘It’s my sincere hope that we will be able to reach a resolution to this issue that is long overdue.
‘I am hopeful that Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali, and Chelsea will take the action necessary to right this wrong and close this chapter so that all parties can move on.’
Alrubie said after his acquittal that he was owed ’10 times’ the £300k commission he had demanded from Granovskaia over Zouma’s transfer to West Ham three years ago.
Indeed, the jury during the trial heard that he had worked on the understanding that, as an intermediary, he would receive a commission on any fee worth more than €30m (£25.3m).
‘The £300,000 was actually an amount that I was willing to accept when I didn’t know all of the facts and the truth of the transfer fee was hidden away from me,’ Rubie told talkSPORT during an interview live on the radio.
‘The judge in the trial established all of the facts, thank God. The law of the land is above any law and I’m just glad that that has vindicated everything that I’ve had to go through and the facts were black and white.’
Alrubie believes he is still owed a significant amount after Kurt Zouma’s transfer to West Ham
In a statement, the agent namedropped Todd Boehly and urged Chelsea to ‘right wrongs’
On whether he would pursue an amount worth millions of pounds, he added: ‘Like I said, my lawyers will be dealing with that plus the interest, plus the rest.’
After the not guilty verdict was handed down earlier this year, Granovskaia released a statement which read: ‘Coming to court to give evidence in the Crown’s case against Mr Alrubie 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, a feeling this trial has revived.
‘I was also minded to testify as I received messages of support from colleagues and associates in football following news of Mr Alrubie’s arrest, including some who have had dealings with him over the years.’
Alrubie sent the email in question in May 2022, shortly before Granovskaia was placed on gardening leave at Chelsea after the club’s high-profile takeover. He was arrested at Heathrow after arriving on a flight from Brussels in September 2022.
‘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,’ Granovskaia’s statement added.
Granovskaia was placed on gardening leave shortly before the takeover at Stamford Bridge
‘One thing I do not miss is the difficult and ugly side of football. I will not be making any further comment.’
The malicious communication accusation specifically related to a section of an email from Rubie that referred to an alleged incident involving agent Kia Joorabchian.
‘I’m sure you’ve heard the story about your other friend Kia when he owed me money for a year and how he ended up paying it. Wouldn’t want you to be in the same situation just because you have a personal issue with me,’ the message read.
Granovskaia has not commented on the development.
Mail Sport has approached Chelsea for a comment.
