Chelsea and France midfielder N’Golo Kante has filed a criminal complaint accusing one of his former agents of fraud and attempted fraud. Kante claims that his former agent Nouari Khiari made a series of decisions against the Frenchman’s will and then attempted to extort money from the midfielder.
The complaint against Khiari includes citing ‘fraud’, ‘attempted fraud’, ‘breach of trust’ and ‘illegal exercise of the profession of sports agent’, after the agent accepted a €150,000 payment to end their professional relationship, but then continued to demand more money from the diminutive star.
The 28-year-old first began working with Khiari in 2016 when he was at Leicester City, but their relationship deteriorated quickly when the agent started to propose agreements, such as a deal with a betting company, which Kanté felt didn’t quite match his image.
In an interview with L’Equipe on Thursday, Kante said: “I believe my confidence has been abused.
“We had reached an agreement to cancel the contract but this person went back on it.
“At the same time, they tried to spread defamatory things about my entourage and within my entourage to put pressure on me. I, therefore, took steps to separate from them as quickly as possible.”
A report this week on French investigative website Mediapart said Kante had been threatened with violence during a battle for influence among his advisors and agents.
Kanté’s on-field form has been good for the Blues this season despite missing the start of the season, and the Frenchman scored in Chelsea’s recent defeat to Manchester City and put in another colossus performance in the 2-2 draw against Valencia in the Champions League on Wednesday. He has made six appearances for the Blues this season and looks to have recovered from recent injury issues.
