<<Print>>

Thomas Tuchel 'was sacked by Chelsea for off-field reasons and because the players lost respect for him' - according to an email from his ex-wife.

The revelation came in a hearing at Munich's district court following the split between Tuchel, 49, and his wife Sissi, 51, last year after 13 years of marriage.

German newspaper Bild report that Sissi, a former journalist for Suddeutsche Zeitung, received a call from England in which she was given the alleged reasons for his Chelsea sacking in September last year.

She was apparently told the Chelsea players had lost respect for the manager who led them to Champions League success in 2021. Mysterious 'off-field reasons' were also cited.

The reasons were put down in an email and Tuchel wanted to use a temporary injunction to prevent Sissi disclosing the content of the message, Bild said.