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On this day: Chelsea charged with tapping up Arsenal's Ashley Cole

On this day: Chelsea charged with tapping up Arsenal's Ashley Cole
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The then-Arsenal defender met with representatives from the club's London rivals.

On this day 15 years ago, the Premier League handed out charges to those involved in Chelsea's illegal tapping up of Arsenal defender Ashley Cole.

Here, the PA news agency looks at both the background and fall-out from the incident.

What led to the charge?

Cole developed into one of the most highly-regarded left-backs in Europe during his time at Arsenal.
Cole developed into one of the most highly-regarded left-backs in Europe during his time at Arsenal (Rebecca Naden/PA)

Having established himself as first-choice left-back for Arsenal and England, Cole became a target for Jose Mourinho soon after the Portuguese had taken over at Stamford Bridge.

The guilty parties met at a hotel in January 2005 to discuss a move across London, without informing the Gunners.

Mourinho and Cole were joined by Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon and Jonathan Barnett, the player's agent.

Who was hit with charges?

Jose Mourinho appeared at the inquiry into the tapping up allegations and was hit with an FA charge.
Jose Mourinho appeared at the inquiry into the tapping up allegations and was hit with a charge (Sean Dempsey/PA)

All those involved in the illicit meeting were hit with charges on March 23 and, on June 2, the governing body doled out the respective punishments.

Cole was fined GBP100,000 – reduced to GBP75,000 on appeal – with Mourinho's initial GBP200,000 dropped to the same figure.

Chelsea were hit with a GBP300,000 fine and a suspended three-point deduction while Barnett, who was later found guilty, was fined GBP100,000 and had his licence revoked for 18 months – with nine months suspended.

How they reacted?

Cole claimed in his autobiography that the 2005 meeting had nothing to do with his move to Chelsea.
Cole claimed in his autobiography that the 2005 meeting had nothing to do with his move to Chelsea (Adam Davy/PA)

Speaking about the incident in his autobiography, Cole claimed: "I can only speak about what was said and not said while I was in the room, and in those 15-20 minutes, the chit-chat never strayed anywhere near what could be considered an approach by Chelsea.

"Not once was there anything mentioned about figures, transfers, further meetings or even leaving Arsenal."

Then-Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger would go on to say the issue with Cole was: "A regret of my career. He left on a misunderstanding between his agent and the club."

What happened next?

Arsenal supporters threw fake banknotes after claiming Cole moved to Chelsea to earn more money.
Arsenal supporters threw fake banknotes after claiming Cole moved to Chelsea to earn more money (Rebecca Naden/PA)

Remarkably, Cole would go on to sign a contract extension with Arsenal just over a month after being hit with his punishment.

It still did not prevent him finally landing his move to Chelsea the following summer in a part-exchange deal which saw the Blues pay a reported GBP5million with William Gallas moving in the opposition direction.

Cole would be dubbed "Cashley" by Arsenal supporters and is still largely disliked by their fan base today – he went on to win the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, Carling Cup and three FA Cups during an eight-year stay at Stamford Bridge.

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2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
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11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
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14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
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17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


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