Premier League leaders Chelsea, which financially backs Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem, has reportedly been accused of trying to 'fix' the Dutch football league.
Vitesse, who have traditionally battled Ajax Amsterdam at the top of the Dutch league, have won just three of their last 11 matches, with the team coached by Peter Bosz 12 points behind Ajax and out of contention for the title.
According to Sport24, former Vitesse owner Merab Jordania said that Chelsea does not want the club to win the league because both cannot compete in the Champions League given that UEFA prevents two clubs under the same ownership from competing in the same competition.
However, former club technical director Ted van Leeuwen dismissed the allegations, saying that even though Chelsea is in control at Vitesse as it covers part of the Vitesse payroll and loans a certain number of its players, however, Chelsea is only concerned for the good progress of the players.
The club's major shareholder, Russian businessman Alexander Chigrininsky, who is a friend of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, dismissed Jordania's claims as 'lies driven by jealousy'.
A statement from the Dutch Football Federation, KNVB, said they would be looking for 'clarification on 'Jordania's allegations' and asked Vitesse to 'give an explanation of their organisational structure and the way it is working'.
