Chelsea sacked commercial director, Damian Willoscake, few weeks of appointment after he sent “inappropriate messages” before he became the club’s director.
The football club established that they had canceled the contract of Damian Willoughby ‘with immediate effect’ after they confirmed the content of the messages.
The Club’s Ex director Willoughby was in his second spell at Stamford Bridge. He accepted a director role with Chelsea’s new US owners hoping to maximize off-the-field revenue.
Willoughby has resigned after few weeks with the club. A Chelsea statement read: “Chelsea Football Club confirms that it has terminated commercial director Damian Willoughby’s employment with immediate effect.
The proofs of the inappropriate messages sent by Mr. Willoughby, prior to his employment at Chelsea FC earlier this month, has just been submitted to the football club to be investigated by the club.
While they messages were sent prior to his appointment at the club, such act goes against the club environment and corporate rules created by the club’s new ownership.
The football club’s leaders are seeing that they set and acquire the best growths including on the pitch and off the pitch, and they are prepared to create and grow a transparency, sincerely, accountability, inclusivity, diversity and opportunity.
‘The football club Chelsea is devoted to establish an atmosphere which governs these values.’
Catalina Kim is said to have reported to Tom Glick the Blues president of business who employed Willoughby, to claim to have been sexually harassed before his appointment by the club and accuse she was threatened over the phone, Mail Online reports.
Kim met with Glick, who was the first appointment of the new Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital owners in July, on behalf of overseas investors who want to invest hundreds of millions of pounds into the football club’s mens’, womens’ and academy teams.
Kim submitted to Glick series of messages Willoughby sent last year asking her if she was naked, including subject of having sex, sent an alleged sexually explicit video and suggested he would schedule a meeting with City chief executive Ferran Soriano if she was willing to be ‘naughty’, as shown to Telegraph Sport.
After Catalina Kim rejected a proposal from Willoughby to help fund a bid to buy Chelsea that was expected to rival the bid of Todd Boehly and Clearlake the messages are said to have become angry messages.
Over the involvement of Willoughby after that first meeting initially surrounding his plan to raise investment as a way to buy Chelsea Catalina Kim raised her concerns with Glick.
The Telegraph report believes Catalina Kim accuse this as an angry phone call from Willoughby.
Kim then sent Glick eight screenshots of messages of a sexual nature, including the alleged sexually explicit video, on the 3rd of September few days before Willoughby’s official resumption date at Chelsea club.
Catalina Kim complained even after Willoughby resumed work and that statements have been stalled over her proposed investment project.