Cole returns to give evidence
The three-man independent commission will hear from the player at the centre of the scandal after spending much of the opening day listening to evidence from Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho and chief-executive Peter Kenyon.
Cole was available to give his evidence to the inquiry team all day yesterday but it is understood he was not questioned.
The hearing, much to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger’s anger, has already interfered with their FA Cup final preparations but the Frenchman is understood to have made an appearance in support of Cole.
In spite of all the media attention on the Arsenal defender, he is training normally with the club this week and will take part in the cup final.
Wenger and vice-chairman David Dein maintain that Chelsea made an illegal approach for the England defender and will push for a severe penalty if the commission find the Premiership champions guilty.
The charges handed out to Cole and Chelsea relate to a meeting in a London hotel in February.
Kenyon, Mourinho, agent Pini Zahavi, Cole and his advisor Jonathan Barnett were all in attendance and the gathering was, it is alleged, a breach of rules which govern contact with players contracted to another club.
Chelsea claim Cole and Barnett were responsible for instigating the meeting but Wenger backs the player’s version of events.
Wenger’s support was considered important enough for him break off preparations for the FA Cup final against Manchester United to testify at the hearing even though he was not compelled to do so.
Wenger had asked the Premier League to delay announcing the verdict until after Saturday’s showdown clash with United at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff but that now seems distinctly unlikely.
Talks over a new contract for Cole have stalled since the affair began but Wenger is hoping that his show of support will persuade the 24-year-old to resume negotiations over a new contract as soon as the hearing is finished.
This despite speculation that Cole’s agent Jonathan Barnett allegedly demanded £750,000 from Arsenal as part of the deal to hand the England star a new contract at Highbury.
It is understood the revelation forms part of Arsenal’s evidence to the inquiry. Barnett allegedly stunned Arsenal by requesting that the club paid him £150,000-a-year for his role in the negotiations to agree the five-year deal.
Arsenal’s board of directors dismissed the request and as a result the talks have stalled between both parties. The simmering feud still threatens to bring an end to Cole’s career in north London. Apart from his link with Chelsea, Barcelona are also believed to be in the hunt for the world class defender.
Wenger and the Arsenal board are convinced the differential between them and the player over the 24-year-old’s basic wages can be overcome but both sides are equally aware that time is becoming the guiding factor.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter weighed into the dispute yesterday, demanding that clubs found guilty of tapping up players should face the penalty of being banned from buying and selling for one transfer window.
“I think that is a good idea. We need more discipline and more respect for the regulations,” he said.
Mourinho and Kenyon both attended the hearing before flying out to South Korea for a post-season friendly against Asian champions Suwon Bluewings which will be televised live on the club’s own TV channel, Chelsea TV.
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