Tiago call puts Blues on the spot

Chelsea were today considering whether to take action against the Portuguese FA over their decision to call new £8million signing Tiago Mendes into their squad for the Athens Olympics.

The club, who arrived in Seattle this morning for the start of their American tour, have not yet received official confirmation that Tiago, 23, has been picked for the Games.

But, once notified, they are expected to ask the Portuguese FA if they would be prepared to exempt the midfielder from the team.

While Chelsea officials acknowledge that the Olympic tournament is a major competition, they are concerned at the prospect of losing their new signing for the opening three weeks of the Premiership campaign.

Tiago, who sealed his move to Chelsea yesterday after days of frantic negotiations, will have to leave Chelsea's US tour next Sunday to join up with his Portuguese team-mates ahead of travelling to Greece.