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London - Chelsea's players have been warned of "severe disciplinary consequences" if their private lives tarnish the English Premiership leaders' image, club officials revealed on Friday.
Blues chief executive Ron Gourlay and coach Carlo Ancelotti held a 10-minute meeting with the players this week in a bid to avoid a repeat of the kind of lurid headlines that cost John Terry the England captaincy and have once again seen Ashley Cole making front-page news.
"We had a meeting this week with the players," Ancelotti, who has been a staunch supporter of Chelsea captain Terry, said on Friday.
"It was a good meeting. Ron Gourlay was there as well. We spoke to the players and explained to them the behaviour that is required of the players in this club.
"Now they know very well what they have to do and what behaviour is expected of them when they're in the Chelsea shirt.
"We are interested, me and the club, in protecting the image of this club. Not only the players and the manager, all the staff - the people who work in this club - have to protect that image.
"That is one of the most important things, the image of the club. We want to carry that forward. And I think the players and all the staff know very well what they have to do.
"All the players were there. Ron spoke for the club, for the owner (Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich), and the players listened.
"It was a private meeting and I don't like to speak about what exactly was said. But, to confirm, the most important thing is that everybody has to pay attention to protect the image of the club."
