Top 7 Critical and Controversial Moments of Chelsea Football Cub (Photos)

Every football club has them and down the years, Chelsea Football Club has been partial to the odd scandal here and there.

Indeed, from players being sent home on the train for their antics ahead of a match, to managers resigning over the company car they have been issued, the history of the Blues has been one lit up by some of the loveable rogues who have called Stamford Bridge home at one point in their careers.

It hasn't always been fun and games, it must be said. There have been alleged extra-marital affairs, drug abuse and racism from the terraces as supporters targeted their own players with racial abuse and sanctions from UK government over link link with Russian president, Putin.


So, in no particular order, sit back and relive some of the more infamous moments in Chelsea's history.

7. The John Terry and Wayne Bridge Affair

Once the best of friends, John Terry and Wayne Bridge haven't had a pleasant word to say to each other in over three years now.

It was in January 2010 when reports first circulated of a Premier League star apparently using a so-called super injunction obtained in court to prevent details of an alleged extra-martial affair being made public.

The injunction was eventually overturned and Chelsea captain Terry was identified, then accused of having an affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the former partner of Bridge.

The reports ranged from Perroncel falling pregnant in the Daily Mail, to the Mirror suggesting things had got serious following Terry "offering her a shoulder to cry on" following her split from Bridge.

What really happened? We'll never quite know all the facts, but since then Bridge has added fuel to the fire by refusing to shake Terry's hand whenever they have faced each other, and it continues to rumble on.

6. Jose and His Pet Dog

Given his antics throughout his career, there are plenty of fans who would want to lock up Jose Mourinho and throw away the key.

It wasn't quite as drastic in May 2007, but Mourinho did spend a night in the cells when he was arrested over an altercation involving his pet dog.

The incident occurred when Mourinho refused to allow police to put the family canine into quarantine after it had reportedly traveled outside the country without the correct injections.

Named Gullit after Chelsea legend Ruud, Mourinho set the dog free when police tried to capture it and later received a caution for obstructing police.

5. Adrain Mutu Sacked for Cocaine Use

Like Mark Bosnich before him, Adrian Mutu succumbed to the temptations London nightlife has to offer and failed a drugs test in October 2004.

The Romanian had only joined the club a season earlier, getting his Chelsea career off to a great start with a flurry of goals.

It all soon turned sour, though, and he adopted a party boy lifestyle, resulting in him eventually falling foul of drugs testers, testing positive for cocaine.

Chelsea ripped up his contract and have been attempting to recover compensation from the player ever since.

4. The Signing of John Mikel Obi  Controversy

Had Chelsea realized the player they were getting, perhaps they wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to sign John Mikel Obi in 2006.

Plying his trade with Lyn Oslo in Norway, the Nigerian became subject of a transfer wrangle between Manchester United and the Blues.

Confusion ensued, with United claiming to have signed the player in April 2005, while Chelsea also believed they had captured his signature.

A game of legal tug of war kicked in as both clubs battled for his signature, with Chelsea eventually winning out.

It came at a cost though, with the Blues forced to pay their rivals United a reported £12 million for a player who had never kicked a ball in anger for them.

3. Chelsea transfer ban

Chelsea were given a transfer ban after 150 rule breaches involving 69 academy players over several seasons, says a judgement published by Fifa.

The two-window ban, which ends in February 2020, was upheld by the world governing body in May after an appeal.

It shows how Chelsea claimed many academy players were only trialists and did not play in organised matches.

But one player described in this way took part in 75 games between September 2013 and February 2016.

Chelsea have lodged an appeal against the punishment, which also included a £460,000 fine and came after an investigation into the Premier League club's signing of foreign under-18 players, at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

It is understood that the transfer ban was as a result of 27 breaches of Fifa rules, with others considered administrative or procedural.

The case came to light after claims Burkina Faso forward Bertrand Traore - who moved to London from his homeland - played for the Blues for several years before being registered in 2014.

Fifa bans the transfer of under-18s to different countries unless they meet strict criteria, such as the parents moving to the country for non-footballing reasons.

2. Eden Hazard kicked a ball boy

Eden Hazard found himself in hot water midway through his first season at Chelsea after kicking a Swansea City ball boy named Charlie Morgan during a League Cup clash at the Liberty Stadium in January 2013.

The bizarre incident ended with referee Chris Foy showing Hazard, who was 22 at the time, a straight red card.

The Belgian winger attempted to retrieve the ball from Morgan, who had fallen on top of it, and ended up kicking the youngster in the process.

1. UK imposes sanctions on Roman Abramovich over ‘clear’ links to Putin

Roman Abramovich, one of the world’s richest men, was finally subjected to sanctions by the UK government after ministers accused him of having “clear connections” to Vladimir Putin’s regime and being among a group of businessmen who had “blood on their hands”.

The owner of Chelsea FC was one of seven Russians worth up to £15bn who had their assets frozen on Thursday and were banned from travelling to Britain in a move designed to dramatically increase pressure on the Kremlin over its invasion of Ukraine.

The sanctions against Abramovich – years after campaigners first raised concerns about his ties to the Russian president – left the London football club in turmoil, with his plans to sell it frozen indefinitely.

It remains to be seen whether Abramovich will launch a legal challenge against the U.K. government. A spokesperson for Abramovich did not immediately respond to comment when contacted by ESPN.

What the sanctions mean:

- Chelsea cannot sell any home match tickets, although season tickets and other tickets bought before March 10 will be valid. This means there will be no away fans at Chelsea matches for any games that have not yet gone on sale.

- The club can pay the wages of all players and staff.

- Travel costs for away games limited to a maximum of £20,000.

- Cost of home games for security, catering and stewarding capped at £500,000 per game.

- Payments to and from other clubs for transfers and loans agreed before March 10 can still be made.

- Broadcasters can show Chelsea games and pay revenues, but these funds must be frozen.

- Third parties who have club merchandise can sell existing stock, but the proceeds cannot be paid to the club.

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