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<DIV class=header><H2 class=sIFR-replaced><EMBED class=sIFR-flash src=http://images.skysports.com/images/swf/fonts/futura.swf width=150 height=16 type=application/x-shockwave-flash sifr="true" flashvars="txt=RELATED LINKS&textalign=left&offsetTop=-1&textcolor=#ffffff&hovercolor=#CCCCCC& ;w=150&h=16" bgcolor="transparent" wmode="transparent" quality="best"></EMBED></H2></DIV><H3 class=articleLinks></H3><P class=articleLinks><P class=big>Chelsea have filed a complaint with the Football Association against former Blues chairman Ken Bates and Leeds United for bringing the game into disrepute.
The Premiership champions made the decision to take action against current Leeds chairman Bates and the Championship outfit for comments he made about the Stamford Bridge club.
Bates has already reported his former club to the Football Association, the Premier League, the Football League and Fifa after alleging that Chelsea tapped-up three Leeds youngsters in Danny Rose, Michael Woods and Tom Taiwo.
The situation was then exacerbated when Bates claimed The Blues had made an illegal approach for 10-year-old Leeds trainee Lewis Coyle.
Bates's latest comments about Chelsea have upset the West Londoners, with The Blues confirming their decision to take formal action against their former chairman.
"There are football procedures in place to deal with that specific (tapping-up) dispute," read a statement on Chelsea's official website.
"Chelsea will comply with those, will not discuss the case publicly other than our previously stated position and will contest it vigorously.
"However, there are also existing football rules that prohibit rude, insulting and inappropriate comments being made about other club owners, chairmen and personnel.
"In particular, we are concerned by the implications of Mr Bates's reference to the Chelsea directors as 'a bunch of shysters from Siberia' and the discriminatory nature of this in terms of race, nationality and religion.
"Such comments have no place in football, a sport which is rightly committed to fighting racial intolerance and bigotry.
"Chelsea believes these comments are part of a personal campaign being waged by Mr. Bates against our club and his actions cannot be allowed to masquerade erroneously as being in the interests of football, as he claims."
The Premiership champions made the decision to take action against current Leeds chairman Bates and the Championship outfit for comments he made about the Stamford Bridge club.
Bates has already reported his former club to the Football Association, the Premier League, the Football League and Fifa after alleging that Chelsea tapped-up three Leeds youngsters in Danny Rose, Michael Woods and Tom Taiwo.
The situation was then exacerbated when Bates claimed The Blues had made an illegal approach for 10-year-old Leeds trainee Lewis Coyle.
Bates's latest comments about Chelsea have upset the West Londoners, with The Blues confirming their decision to take formal action against their former chairman.
"There are football procedures in place to deal with that specific (tapping-up) dispute," read a statement on Chelsea's official website.
"Chelsea will comply with those, will not discuss the case publicly other than our previously stated position and will contest it vigorously.
"However, there are also existing football rules that prohibit rude, insulting and inappropriate comments being made about other club owners, chairmen and personnel.
"In particular, we are concerned by the implications of Mr Bates's reference to the Chelsea directors as 'a bunch of shysters from Siberia' and the discriminatory nature of this in terms of race, nationality and religion.
"Such comments have no place in football, a sport which is rightly committed to fighting racial intolerance and bigotry.
"Chelsea believes these comments are part of a personal campaign being waged by Mr. Bates against our club and his actions cannot be allowed to masquerade erroneously as being in the interests of football, as he claims."