Chelsea have sacked their commercial director, Damian Willoughby, over an inappropriate message sent to a football finance agent, Catalina Kim.
The commercial director, who joined less than a month ago, was sacked after the Chelsea President for business, Tom Glick, received a complaint from Kim on Tuesday, September 20.
Following a prior stint at Chelsea, he had held positions at Manchester City and the gaming company Electronic Arts and also worked in Chelsea from 2007 to 2011.
Mrs. Kim, a financial agent and the founder and CEO of C&P Sports Group, filed a complaint alleging that the former Chelsea director had harassed her sexually over the phone.
Before Todd Boehly’s group of Americans completed a takeover in May, C&P was a part of British real estate billionaire Nick Candy’s attempt to purchase Chelsea from Roman Abramovich.
Kim felt threatened by the messages she received and was very quick to react to the incident to avoid unnecessary adventure in her career as a football finance agent.
Before sacking Damian Willoughby, Chelsea issued a statement that reads, “The Club has recently been supplied with evidence of improper texts exchanged by Mr. Willoughby, before his hiring at Chelsea FC earlier this month, and has been investigating.
“Such conduct interferes with a productive workplace and seriously undermines team morale.”
Chelsea’s swift response to the situation appears to have been a good one. The club has stressed that it is dedicated to fostering an environment at work that fosters values and equips members to carry out a variety of high-caliber tasks.
The story arose unexpectedly, according to Futtball news, because Damian Willoughby allegedly received the message before being named the commercial director.
The director mentioned having sex in the message, shares what appears to be a sexually explicit film, and offers to set up a meeting with City CEO Ferran Soriano if the recipient is game to be “naughty.”
Damian Willoughby reportedly wrote: “When you get to London, will you be naughty” in messages from a chat about introducing the agent to Soranio. “No”, the agent answered.
Then Damian Willoughby wrote: “glad to link you, if you promise to be naughty one night.”
Below is the Alleged conversation between Christian Kim and Damian Willoughby
Why Other Football Teams Should Implement Chelsea Action
The London team acted in the club’s best interests, and this should be used as a yardstick for enforcing discipline. To fulfill their dreams, some directors have forcefully exploited several female football players.
Directors should undergo extensive scrutiny, and discussions about their past actions and future projections should take place.
Damian Willoughby may have learned his lesson, but because of what he did, it may be very difficult for him to find a good job. From all indications, it will be difficult for him to be welcomed back into the football world.
