Revealed: The email that left Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea chief Marina Granovskaia, ‘the most powerful woman in football’, feeling ‘physically threatened’ in agents’ row over 300,000 transfer payments £

Marina Granovskaia felt “physically threatened” by an email sent to her by football agent Saif Rubie, the court heard today.

Speaking publicly for the first time since leaving Chelsea in 2022, Granovskaia – previously Chelsea manager – described his fears after receiving an email from Rubie demanding money he believed he was owed money as part of the deal which saw Kurt Zouma leave Stamford Bridge for West Ham.

Testifying in court Tuesday morning, prosecutor attorney Arizuna Asante asked Granovskaia how she felt when she received the email.

She replied: “Very uncomfortable would be an understatement. I felt physically threatened because of the language used which made it personal as it referred to the Kia (Joorabchian) incident.

Earlier in the day, Mr Asante told the court that Mr Joorabchian was confronted at a restaurant by people acting on behalf of the accused Rubie, who saw Joorabchian having his watch taken away and told him that ‘it would not be returned to him until a payment was made later.

Football agent Rubie (above) charged with breaching Malicious Communications Act

Kurt Zouma’s £29.1m transfer to West Ham from Chelsea in 2021 is at the center of the trial

Rubie reportedly demanded payment for role in Zouma’s move to Hammers

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It was added that around twelve men showed up at Joorabchian’s office and started intimidating him and demanding money, claiming that the accused wanted his money.

The email allegedly sent to Granovskaia by Rubie read: “At the end of a very unique season for you and Chelsea, I am writing to address the outstanding issues we have had between us over the last 2 years .

“I will try to keep this email as short and to the point as possible.

“I was recently with Pini (Zahavi) (an agent) in Dubai and he told me that you agreed to pay me (and my 2 partners on this deal) 300,000 GPB for offering you the West Ham offer for Kurt Zouma.

“However, Pini told me that you said you would pay me this money from other deals in the future, referring to (Antonio) Rudiger. As you clearly know from the moment I offered you extend Antonio’s contract for another year with the same salary and you refused and started playing games.

“You went to Sahr (Senesie) (an agent) and started making up lies about me and HMRC about why you didn’t want to deal with me. This alone was defamatory and cost me a lot of business and trust because of your lies.

“The truth is that from that point on I should have had no more dealings with you, but I am a gentleman and I thought you would be right and because of my close personal relationship with Sahr, his brother , his family and the big business I do with them outside of football, I was not going to criticize your slander against me, even though you tried your best to take away a business that I work very hard for and. that you have never done anything wrong with you over the years, but it seems that you have made it a problem with me.

Mail Sport previously reported that Zouma’s move to the London Stadium and the amount he was sold for would be crucial in the trial as the jury decides whether Rubie’s alleged demand for payment from Granovskaia was “reasonable”.

The court heard the total cost of the move was £29.1 million, including a £4.1 million severance package for Zouma.

Meanwhile, former Blues player Rudiger had been mentioned in court as someone likely to become a person of interest in the case, with the current Real Madrid defender having left Chelsea in the summer of 2022 after was unable to reach a new agreement.

Granovskaia felt ‘physically threatened and very uncomfortable’ because of the email

She was a key figure at Chelsea during the Roman Abramovich era before his departure in 2022

The threatening email also referred to Antonio Rudiger’s departure from Chelsea in 2022.

Rubie’s email continues: “Then the way you have been with me was finally confirmed when I was in Abu Dhabi for the Club World Cup when I went to visit Antonio and he said you approached him to ask why he was friendly to me and was happy to deal with me.

“Who do you think you are addressing players like this and talking nonsense about me?” What have I done to you to make you so bitter and terrible towards me? So for that, I will give you a chance to make things right if you apologize for your behavior towards me.

“If you don’t, I promise I will make you pay for the way you have been with me personally and professionally. It’s not a threat, so take it as you will.

“That’s a promise I give to anyone who tries to screw me over anything in life. I’m pretty sure you’ll never approach Lukaku to tell him why he’s with (Federico) Pastorello, your special friend.

“In summary, you owe me and my partners $300,000 which needs to be paid as soon as possible. If Chelsea do not pay it, this debt will be your responsibility. I’m done trying to be nice to you.

“And feel free to go to your boss who has had recent problems and tell him that you have a big problem with me, as long as you tell him the truth about your behavior. Because in life, you can’t be wrong and be strong.

Prosecutors also discussed an incident in which football agent Kia Joorabchian (left) was confronted at a restaurant by people acting on behalf of defendant Rubie, claiming he owed money.

Zouma spent seven years at Chelsea, making 151 appearances in all competitions for the Blues.

“I look forward to hearing from you on the above issues and hope to have a quick resolution, otherwise I guess I’ll see you when I see you.

“I’m sure you’ve heard the story from your other friend Kia when he owed me money for a year and how he finally paid it off. I wouldn’t want you to be in the same situation just because you have a personal problem with me.

Rubie is accused of violating the Malicious Communications Act by sending a threatening email to Granovskaia. Rubie denies the accusation.

The trial continues.