"It's the media that has put us where we are as a world leader," he says "We have got to understand that and make that work for us.". Parents whose children cause trouble after being excluded from a state school could be fined £50 - which will double if they do not pay on time - in the latest government clampdown on indiscipline in schools. When he left his wife and then moved in with a high-flying media lawyer, The Mail on Sunday reported the details in January under the headline "Playing Away".Nevertheless, Kenyon is smart enough to recognise the value that publicity offers to the Chelsea business and insists there is no siege mentality at the club. "What I can assure you of is that we want to work within the system."Chelsea's CEO made £3.5m last year but his career success has put him in the media spotlight. "The Ashley Cole issue, the fact that we have had so much success so quickly and displaced some of the traditional clubs up there, the impact of Jose Mourinho and the fact that the owner is an extremely wealthy man," he says.
On the sports pages, Chelsea are often portrayed as the rich bullies, beholden to no one, including the football authorities. This is partly the result of Kenyon's attempts to lure to Chelsea not only United's Ferdinand and Arsenal's Cole but also England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.Kenyon says there are several reasons for Chelsea's perceived rebelliousness. "The ability to replicate that in key markets is a powerful tool of connecting with a football-going public in an international marketplace," says Kenyon, promptly citing China as an example.It is not a great surprise that Kenyon regards BSkyB as a great partner for the Premier League. He recognises that the hunger of international television audiences for Premiership coverage is a big marketing tool for Chelsea and is anxious to be seen as supportive of the league's collective efforts to strike the best deal and keep ahead of Spanish, German and Italian rivals.He admits that Chelsea are "seen as a bit of a rebel at the moment", which he says is not an objective. If we can find the undiscovered talent it's good for everybody."Chelsea has ensured that it has television rights to repeat the exercise with youngsters overseas.
It had the ultimate prize of a year's contract to play youth team football at Chelsea. "These type of reality shows have been pushed around the industry for a long time," says Kenyon. "This one was different from the rest, not a fly on the wall but well structured and reaching a broader audience of kids which is an important factor. "I think we are in good shape," the chief executive observes, although a day later Chelsea are dumped out of the Carling Cup by Charlton.Kenyon is looking for other sponsors to add to a list that already includes Budweiser and BSkyB. "We are marrying the very best of breed and the leaders in their field and that's how we want to be perceived," says Kenyon of BSkyB.
