This archive report was first published on 28 November 2019.
On November 28, 2019, Chelsea and France midfielder N'Golo Kante took a significant step in addressing a contentious issue from his past. He filed a criminal complaint against one of his former agents, accusing him of fraud and breach of trust.
The complaint, which was originally reported by L'Equipe sports newspaper, alleges that the agent had demanded an additional payment in return for cancelling their contract in 2017. Kante, 28 at the time, also accused the agent of trying to interfere in his career by attempting to persuade him to join Real Madrid when it was not his role to do so.
According to an interview with L'Equipe, Kante stated, "I believe my confidence has been abused." He further explained, "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."
It's worth noting that a report by French investigative website Mediapart had previously suggested that Kante had been threatened with violence during a battle for influence among his advisors and agents. However, Kante denies ever being threatened.
