03-14-2005, 04:38 PM
I love my team BUT if this is true i wish they would come clean and face the music ..
They have made us
scapegoats - Chelsea were
desperate to see Cole
By Rob Beasley
ASHLEY COLE last night insisted he's been cynically turned into a ‘scapegoat' after Chelsea presented evidence to the Premier League tapping up inquiry.
In another stunning News of the World exclusive, we today print extracts from a letter Cole's lawyers have written to the inquiry, expressing their concerns over the way Chelsea's evidence has been fortuitously leaked to make them look innocent.
And we also today reveal just how desperate Chelsea were to lure Cole to Stamford Bridge.
Cole's agent, Jonathan Barnett, yesterday became the first person to speak on the record about the inquiry — exclusively to News of the World.
We were the first paper to reveal how Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon and Blues boss Jose Mourinho secretly met Cole and his agents at a London hotel.
Our story triggered an official Premier League inquiry and on Friday Kenyon gave his evidence, claiming the Blues didn't help set up the meeting.
Pressure
In fact, some reports yesterday even suggested Cole himself had tried to engineer the get-together — a claim that last night infuriated Barnett.
Barnett told me "Unsubstantiated accusations have been made against my client, Ashley Cole, that are totally wrong and incorrect. As a result, he has been subjected to an intolerable level of pressure I find wholly unacceptable.
"As his representative, I cannot allow that to happen and I am therefore happy to confirm, on the record, that the accusations levelled at Ashley are entirely false. Not only that, they are both appalling and offensive.
"Ashley has been asked to attend the Premier League inquiry to present evidence tomorrow. I am happy to confirm he will honour that obligation and assist the inquiry fully with their investigation. Most crucially, he will also honour their request that all matters discussed before the inquiry remain private and confidential."
Chelsea's evidence to the inquiry reportedly lays the blame for the meeting on Barnett — although it clearly confirms Kenyon and Mourinho did meet Cole without Arsenal's permission and in direct contradiction of strict Premier League Rule K3.
Barnett continued "I am also appalled to read the accusations that have been made against me personally in various papers and I refute them completely.
"When I gave my evidence to the inquiry I was respectfully reminded that the proceedings were confidential. I have respected that — everything I told the inquiry has remained between them and me. I continue to have faith in the impartiality and fairness of the inquiry and hope that whatever decision they reach will not be affected by the grossly inaccurate reports that have appeared in the papers so far."
Indeed, Kenyon's admission that Chelsea were at the Royal Park Hotel even exposes Mourinho as a liar.
On the day we broke the story, Mourinho insisted he'd been in Italy, saying "I couldn't have met Ashley Cole."
By Kenyon's own admission to the inquiry, that was clearly a lie that now casts a question mark over the entire validity of Chelsea's story.
Barnett's lawyers yesterday sent a letter to the Premier League inquiry, protesting that he and Cole have been made scapegoats. That letter has been leaked to the News of the World and extracts are printed (above right).
The Cole camp are clearly concerned Chelsea's evidence has been deliberately leaked in a cynical bid to make them appear innocents in the affair.
Their lawyer writes "It is entirely unacceptable for my clients to be made into scapegoats to suit the agenda of others rather than the truth."
Doubt
As the row rages over who arranged the meeting and when, we can also reveal just how desperate Chelsea were to sign Cole.
A source said "Ashley is due to meet the law firm heading the inquiry tomorrow and will tell them he had no part in setting up the meeting, despite what some reports have claimed. And Ashley's own account of that meeting will mean trouble for Chelsea because it will cast doubt on their evidence.
"They knew why they were there and they were desperate to show Ashley how much they wanted him.
"In fact, Jose Mourinho could barely believe his luck when he stood in the same room alongside Ashley.
"He was looking squarely into his eyes and giving him the big sell. Mourinho said words to the effect ‘I never dreamt I could consider signing you.'
"‘You are already the best left-back in the world
They have made us
scapegoats - Chelsea were
desperate to see Cole
By Rob Beasley
ASHLEY COLE last night insisted he's been cynically turned into a ‘scapegoat' after Chelsea presented evidence to the Premier League tapping up inquiry.
In another stunning News of the World exclusive, we today print extracts from a letter Cole's lawyers have written to the inquiry, expressing their concerns over the way Chelsea's evidence has been fortuitously leaked to make them look innocent.
And we also today reveal just how desperate Chelsea were to lure Cole to Stamford Bridge.
Cole's agent, Jonathan Barnett, yesterday became the first person to speak on the record about the inquiry — exclusively to News of the World.
We were the first paper to reveal how Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon and Blues boss Jose Mourinho secretly met Cole and his agents at a London hotel.
Our story triggered an official Premier League inquiry and on Friday Kenyon gave his evidence, claiming the Blues didn't help set up the meeting.
Pressure
In fact, some reports yesterday even suggested Cole himself had tried to engineer the get-together — a claim that last night infuriated Barnett.
Barnett told me "Unsubstantiated accusations have been made against my client, Ashley Cole, that are totally wrong and incorrect. As a result, he has been subjected to an intolerable level of pressure I find wholly unacceptable.
"As his representative, I cannot allow that to happen and I am therefore happy to confirm, on the record, that the accusations levelled at Ashley are entirely false. Not only that, they are both appalling and offensive.
"Ashley has been asked to attend the Premier League inquiry to present evidence tomorrow. I am happy to confirm he will honour that obligation and assist the inquiry fully with their investigation. Most crucially, he will also honour their request that all matters discussed before the inquiry remain private and confidential."
Chelsea's evidence to the inquiry reportedly lays the blame for the meeting on Barnett — although it clearly confirms Kenyon and Mourinho did meet Cole without Arsenal's permission and in direct contradiction of strict Premier League Rule K3.
Barnett continued "I am also appalled to read the accusations that have been made against me personally in various papers and I refute them completely.
"When I gave my evidence to the inquiry I was respectfully reminded that the proceedings were confidential. I have respected that — everything I told the inquiry has remained between them and me. I continue to have faith in the impartiality and fairness of the inquiry and hope that whatever decision they reach will not be affected by the grossly inaccurate reports that have appeared in the papers so far."
Indeed, Kenyon's admission that Chelsea were at the Royal Park Hotel even exposes Mourinho as a liar.
On the day we broke the story, Mourinho insisted he'd been in Italy, saying "I couldn't have met Ashley Cole."
By Kenyon's own admission to the inquiry, that was clearly a lie that now casts a question mark over the entire validity of Chelsea's story.
Barnett's lawyers yesterday sent a letter to the Premier League inquiry, protesting that he and Cole have been made scapegoats. That letter has been leaked to the News of the World and extracts are printed (above right).
The Cole camp are clearly concerned Chelsea's evidence has been deliberately leaked in a cynical bid to make them appear innocents in the affair.
Their lawyer writes "It is entirely unacceptable for my clients to be made into scapegoats to suit the agenda of others rather than the truth."
Doubt
As the row rages over who arranged the meeting and when, we can also reveal just how desperate Chelsea were to sign Cole.
A source said "Ashley is due to meet the law firm heading the inquiry tomorrow and will tell them he had no part in setting up the meeting, despite what some reports have claimed. And Ashley's own account of that meeting will mean trouble for Chelsea because it will cast doubt on their evidence.
"They knew why they were there and they were desperate to show Ashley how much they wanted him.
"In fact, Jose Mourinho could barely believe his luck when he stood in the same room alongside Ashley.
"He was looking squarely into his eyes and giving him the big sell. Mourinho said words to the effect ‘I never dreamt I could consider signing you.'
"‘You are already the best left-back in the world