Chelsea scrap pre-season opener

New Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has wasted no time wielding the axe at Stamford Bridge, scrapping a July 9 friendly with Vitesse Arnhem.

The Portuguese boss decided it was simply too soon to pack his squad up for a trip to the Netherlands to face the Eredivisie side.

Players are only due to return to pre-season training five days earlier.

Vitesse manager director Paul van der Kraan said the club was disappointed by the lack of notice and the loss of income an estimated 11,000-strong crowd would have generated.

“We were only informed over the weekend that the game could not now go ahead, and it was too late for us to arrange for an alternative opponent of similar stature to step in,” Van der Kraan told Vitesse’s official website.

“It is a big disappointment for our club and our supporters.”

Chelsea are believed to be willing to re-schedule the friendly at a later date.