Chelsea sack starlet Mellis and fine team-mate Clifford over smoke bomb prank



Chelsea have kicked out midfielder Jacob Mellis after he admitted setting off a smoke grenade and causing a full-scale evacuation at the club’s Cobham training ground.

Mellis made his first-team debut in the Champions League last season, but was told he had no future at the club during a disciplinary hearing.

Team-mate Billy Clifford has escaped with a fine after admitting he brought the grenade into the training centre.



Punished: Jacob Mellis (left) and Billy Clifford (right)



Clifford, 19, is a regular in the reserves and signed a new four-year deal last summer.

Mellis, 21, joined Chelsea from Sheffield United five years ago and has been tipped to be a first team regular.

The pair were suspended after the incident on March 2.

The smoke grenade was set off in the reserve team dressing room and trained fire marshals had to be brought in.

Players, officials and other staff from Chelsea's reserve, youth and academy teams ran from the building at Cobham with hands covering their faces because of the thick smoke.



Owner Roman Abramovich was briefed about the shocking incident.

The grenade, which was set off in one of the reserve-team dressing rooms shortly before training at 10.30am, set off fire alarms and triggered a full evacuation procedure.



Fire marshals employed by Chelsea were sent into the building, but it was more than an hour before anyone else could go back into the dressing rooms.



Furious: Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich

It is the latest in a string of incidents at the training ground.

