Former Chelsea manager makes startling revelations about being backstabbed by his coaches, leading to his sacking

Ruud Gullit has made startling revelations about his time at Chelsea and the events that led to his shock sacking.

He joined the club in 1995 as a player, but his most influential role came a year later when he was appointed player-manager – becoming one of the first major figures to take on such a dual role in the Premier League.

Gullit, who was rejected by Arsenal early on in his career, went on to become a key figure for Chelsea. He made 64 appearances for the club as a player, scoring seven goals and playing a key role in their 1997 FA Cup final, Chelsea’s first major trophy in 26 years.

The following season, he had the Blues sitting 2nd in the Premiership and in the quarter-finals of two domestic cups.

Despite this, he was controversially sacked, allegedly due to a disagreement with the board. However, Gullit has now shared his version of what happened behind the scenes.

Ruud Gullit reveals he was backstabbed by his own coaches at Chelsea

The Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder has revealed how he was betrayed by his own coaching staff in a recent podcast appearance.

Gullit spoke about the circumstances that led to his appointment as player-manager, admitting he never wanted the role in the first place.

He went on to expose the dirty games politics played behind the scenes from people he once trusted—actions that ultimately led to his dismissal.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Gullit revealed: “The first time it happens, you feel humiliated a little bit. You feel like what is this? You know if things were bad okay you can understand but if things are not going badly so what is this.

“There’s a lot going on behind your back, a lot of things happening around you, and you have no influence on and that is what I hate about this job.

“Later on I found out that there was a lot of money going around because all of a sudden the best players wanted to come to Chelsea and they were offering a lot of players that I didn’t want…I was a little bit in the way.”

When asked by Ian Wright who was forcing these players on him, he replied: “These were people who were behind you and worked with you (sporting directors, scouts) and coaches that you had with you.

“People around you who took care of you and then all of a sudden they backstabbed you. And that’s a horrible feeling.

“The worst thing of all was also my mum had breast cancer. So I had to go to Amsterdam all the time in order to support her. And then they said, ‘Yeah, but he’s never here because he’s always in Amsterdam’.”

A look at Chelsea’s history of controversially sacking managers

Ruud Gullit’s abrupt sacking from Chelsea is part of a long-standing trend at the club, where managerial stability has often been in short supply.

His sacking in 1998—just a year after leading the club to its first FA Cup in 26 years—set the tone for a series of dramatic managerial changes.

The club’s former owner Roman Abramovich was known for his ruthlessness in firing managers and the new owner Todd Boehly has maintained the same reputation.

Among the victims was Jose Mourinho, the club’s most successful manager. Mourinho led Chelsea to two Premier League titles, adding a new dimension to their game and establishing them as the dominant force in English football.

Despite winning the league again in 2006, Mourinho was sacked in 2007 after a series of poor results and growing tension with club management. His departure shocked everyone, given his success, reinforcing the idea that at Chelsea, even the most successful managers were not immune to the club’s ruthless approach to leadership.

The pattern has continued under subsequent managers, such as Luiz Felipe Scolari, and Andre Villas-Boas, and even more recently, managers like Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino have all been sacked ruthlessly by Chelsea.

Enzo Maresca replaced Mauricio Pochettino in the summer and made an immediate impact, guiding the club into the top four. However, Chelsea’s form dipped in the second half of the season, seeing them move out of the top four, sparking speculations about the Italian’s future at the club.

However, it has been previously reported that Chelsea do not plan on sacking Maresca for now and will continue to back him.

Each of these figures experienced relatively short tenures at the club. While this approach has brought Chelsea multiple titles, including Champions League glory, it has also led to moments of inconsistency, with the club frequently shifting its direction and vision.

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