Chelsea wait on Ozgener status

13 June 2011 19:00

Guus Hiddink could move a step closer to becoming Chelsea manager on Tuesday when the president of the Turkish Football Federation announces whether he will stand for re-election.

Mahmut Ozgener will hold a press conference after returning from a week's holiday and what he says is likely to have an impact on the Blues' hopes of securing Hiddink's services in the near future. Ozgener reportedly lacks enough support to secure another term in office and he could therefore elect to jump before he is pushed.

He has been a staunch ally of national team boss Hiddink, whose refusal to fully commit his future to Turkey has caused concern at the TFF. Even Ozgener himself suggested last week he had been misled by the Dutchman, threatening to report Chelsea to FIFA if they persuaded Hiddink to break his contract.

Feelings are likely to run deeper than that among Ozgener's opponents and any new president may decide to cut his losses on Hiddink, whose reported £4million-a-year contract expires next summer. There are claims he is paid even more than this and that the TFF are holding out for the maximum possible compensation from Chelsea.

The Blues were previously reported to FIFA over the signing of Gael Kakuta from Lens, which resulted in them receiving a transfer ban that was overturned on appeal.

Ozgener, who sought assurances from Hiddink after Turkey's 1-1 European Championship qualifying draw in Belgium 10 days ago, said last week: "Chelsea have a record of signing players while under contract. If the same thing happens with Hiddink, we will make a file of the payments we made to Hiddink and we will go to FIFA.

"After the game with Belgium, I went into the dressing room and asked Hiddink what he would do.

"He replied that he would go to watch the Turkey B team and then fly to South Korea for a charity match. Afterwards, I learned he had told the players different things. You cannot come to Turkey and just leave when you want."

Hiddink's agent, Cees van Nieuwenhuizen, has always maintained his client will not break a contract and Hiddink himself insisted in his column in Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf on Saturday that he was focusing on Turkey's four remaining qualifiers for the Euro 2012.

The 64-year-old, who won the FA Cup with Chelsea as interim manager in 2009 and has been an unpaid advisor to owner Roman Abramovich ever since, said he had not been in direct contact with the club "in the last couple of weeks".

Source: PA