Chelsea hires lawyers to investigate a female employee’s complaint of sexual harassment against a male employee

Premier League giants Chelsea have hired lawyers to investigate a female employee’s complaint of sexual harassment.

Club owner Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali are aware of the complaint she has made against a male employee.

They said they take concerns about sexual harassment seriously.

The woman made allegations about an incident that she said occurred on the club’s premises in May 2022.

Club officials began investigating the case last year after becoming aware of it, but earlier this year the male employee was acquitted of misconduct and sexual harassment charges.

The alleged incident occurred before the new owners took control of the club.

The woman resigned and appealed against the verdict. The club has now appointed independent lawyer Tara Shahbahrami to review Their appeal was overseen by Chelsea’s chief financial officer Adriel Lares.

Her LinkedIn profile states that Ms Shahbahrami has “more than ten years of experience conducting complex, lengthy and sensitive workplace investigations.”

The timing of the allegations coincided with the £4.25 billion takeover of the club by a consortium led by US businessman Boehly.

The purchase was approved by the government as it had control over the club after the previous owner, Roman Abramovich, had his financial assets frozen following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russian oligarch Abramovich owned Chelsea for 19 years.

Since the takeover, the West London club has spent around a billion pounds on new players.

However, they went through a turbulent period on the pitch last season and ended up in sixth place. The club has been asked for a comment.