Cole inquiry under threat

THE Ashley Cole tapping inquiry faces the prospect of being fatally undermined after it emerged that the key witness will not be able to give evidence.

Pini Zahavi, who played a major role in the secret meeting between the defender and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho at a London hotel, cannot be called by investigators because his registration as an agent is in Israel.

Cole gave his evidence yesterday to investigator Nick Fitzpatrick at the headquarters of the Premier League's lawyers, Denton Wilde Sapte.

However Zahavi is the only person able to reveal who instigated the meeting between Cole, his agent Jonathan Barnett and Chelsea's Peter Kenyon and Mourinho.

Chelsea admit that the meeting took place but insist the initiative came from Cole's representatives, while Barnett is adamant that he went to the hotel to discuss Cole's future with Zahavi and was surprised when Kenyon and Mourinho appeared.

A formal Premier League inquiry, which is now certain to follow the initial investigation as both parties have admitted a meeting took place, but the question of who instigated it is crucial.