- Title: FILE.: CHELSEA SACK ROMANIAN STRIKER ADRIAN MUTU FOLLOWING A POSITIVE DRUGS TEST
- Date: 1st September 2004
- Summary: HARLINGTON, LONDON, UK (FILE AUGUST 2003) (REUTERS) 1. CLAUDIO RANIERI WITH ADRIAN MUTU, WITH MUTU'S NUMBER SEVEN SHIRT 2. PAN FROM MUTU TO RANIERI 3. (SOUNDBITE) (Romanian) MUTU IS ASKED WHY HE WANTED TO COME TO CHELSEA: "It's a prestigious club that wants to win, and for a player who wants to make a name for himself in the international arena this is the club to go to." 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA COACH CLAUDIO RANIERI: "For me he's a very good striker who scored 18 goals in Italy, has scored in all the world. He's a good player, intelligent player. He's a second striker, has a lot of skill and for us it will be very, very important." 5. MUTU ON TRAINING GROUND LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE SEPTEMBER 2004) (REUTERS) 6. CHELSEA COACH JOSE MOURINHO LEADING STRETCHING SESSION 7. DIDIER DROGBA (FRONT) AT TRAINING SESSION 8. MOURINHO HARLINGTON, LONDON, UK (AUGUST 22, 2003) (REUTERS) 9. MUTU TRAINING Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 16th September 2004 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: HARLINGTON, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
- City:
- Country: United Kingdom
- Reuters ID: LVA3P0T9S35UIS2DE1NPXLL8NJ1Q
- Story Text: Chelsea sack Adrian Mutu following positive drugs
test.
English Premier League side Chelsea have sacked
their Romanian striker Adrian Mutu after a positive drugs
test last month, the Premier League club announced on
Friday (October 29).
"Chelsea has terminated the contract of Adrian Mutu for
gross misconduct," a club statement said.
"The decision comes after the player's positive drugs
test for cocaine and his admission that he took the drug.
"We want to make clear that Chelsea has a zero
tolerance policy towards drugs. This applies to both
performance enhancing drugs or so-called 'recreational'
drugs. They have no place at our club or in sport.
"In coming to a decision on this case, Chelsea believed
the club's social responsibility to its fans, players,
employees and other stakeholders in football regarding
drugs was more important than the major financial
considerations to the company.
"Any player who takes drugs breaches his contract with
the club as well as FA rules. The club totally supports the
FA in strong action on all drugs cases."
Mutu was one of the first signings of Chelsea'
billionaire owner Roman Abramovich when he joined from
Parma in August 2003 for 16 million pounds ($29.3 million).
He scored four goals in his first three games to make
an immediate impact on the pitch and he admitted to loving
London's nightlife.
His performances began to dip and by the end of last
season he had fallen out with former manager Claudio
Ranieri and was on the sidelines, where he remained under
new boss Jose Mourinho who took over in the close season.
Earlier this month Muto denied taking cocaine but said
he had taken "a substance to make me feel bet
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