Football agent ‘implied threat of physical intimidation in Kurt Zouma transfer email’
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In court, they talked about how a guy who helps with football deals sent a scary email to a lady who used to work at Chelsea. He was asking for money for helping with the transfer of a player named Kurt Zouma to West Ham.
This guy, Saif Alrubie, thought he deserved some of the cash from the deal, so he emailed Marina Granovskaia, who was in charge at Chelsea. But the email wasn’t friendly. He hinted that something bad might happen to her if she didn’t pay up. He mentioned another guy, Kia Joorabchian, who supposedly got roughed up because he didn’t pay money he owed.
The court said Alrubie had nothing to do with the Zouma deal and had no right to ask for money. He sent Marina Granovskaia an email in May 2022, demanding £300,000. He warned her that if Chelsea didn’t pay, she’d have to. He also hinted that if she didn’t cooperate, she might face trouble, just like Joorabchian did.
The prosecutor said Alrubie’s email was meant to scare Granovskaia. He wanted her to feel anxious or scared that something bad might happen if she didn’t pay.
Granovskaia left Chelsea in 2022 after being there for nearly 20 years. She was known for being tough in negotiations. Her leaving came after Chelsea got sold for a lot of money due to some issues with the owner.
The trial is still going on.
