In what is likely to come as news to the Chelsea hierarchy, it’s been alleged that their owner, Roman Abramovich, held a financial interest in rival players, including one who played against the Blues.
BBC’s Panorama programme uncovered the findings, which is likely to send shock waves through the Premier League and beyond.
The Daily Star refer to leaked documents which apparently show that the Russian held rights in certain players.
Any financial aspects of his investment went through Leiston Holdings, a company that was based in the British Virgin Islands, however, the Daily Star report his spokeswomen as stressing that neither rules or regulations were broken.
Andre Carrillo played against the Blues in two Champions League games back in 2014, whilst at Sporting Lisbon.
According to the Daily Star, Leiston Holdings apparently secured 50 per cent of Carrillo’s ‘economic rights’ when they loaned Sporting approximately £850,000 back in 2011, in order to help them sign him from Alianza Lima.
“I don’t think it can possibly be proper for the owner of a football club to own players in other football clubs,” Lord Triesman told Panorama, cited by the Daily Star.
“That is precisely why third-party ownership is banned.”
“It casts suspicion and a shadow right across football. On the documents I’ve seen I would’ve wanted, as chairman of the FA, to investigate them.”
The next few days could certainly get interesting for the Blues chief, particularly if the FA do decide to investigate.