Bates lashes out

Hitting out: Ken Bates

14 April 2012

Ken Bates today hit out at the new Roman Abramovich regime at Chelsea, claiming they blocked video tributes to him on the club's television station.

The 72-year-old resigned at his final Chairman's Supper on Tuesday night but alleged today that tributes to him recorded at the event had been censored.

Bates claimed Chelsea TV were ordered not to show the tributes and added: "I didn't realise that Vladimir Putin (the Russian president) had taken over Chelsea Television. He runs the television stations in Russia as well, you know."

After the meal, several football personalities with strong Chelsea connections poured praise on Bates's achievements in his 22-year reign at Stamford Bridge.

Among those who spoke on film were former midfield players Roberto di Matteo and Nigel Spackman.

Terry Byrne, the newlyappointed personal assistant to England captain David Beckham, was also present.

Byrne was a masseur with Chelsea until he moved to Watford and then to Spain with Beckham, and had flown in especially from Madrid to attend the supper.

Chelsea declined to comment on Bates's allegations. Bates sold his shares in the club to Russian tycoon Abramovich for £17million last July but said he was resigning from the club due to "a clash of Eastern and Western cultures".

He accused the new owners of going back on a contract agreed at the time of the sale and is seeking a compensation of £2m for his early departure. Originally, Bates was to leave at the end of next season.

Bates had planned to hand his resignation letter to Bruce Buck, the new chairman of parent company Chelsea Village. According to Bates, Buck bought a ticket for Tuesday's dinner but did not attend because he thought Bates might embarrass him.

The former chairman, who has been linked with a move into buying Sheffield Wednesday, said he has felt increasingly marginalised over the last few months. The club dropped his programme notes for the match against Charlton on 8 February and he declined to write them again.

He also today said that he missed the Champions League game in Stuttgart last week because he felt he and wife Susannah would be isolated from the party.

Bates remains living in a penthouse suite at Chelsea Village and said he would not be removed "for half the money in Siberia."

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