The Germany captain was scheduled to take part at the filming for Adidas, however, Chelsea withheld permission until late on Sunday.

By then, Ballack, who was keen to avoid another dispute, had already returned to England leaving general manager Olivier Bierhoff enraged by Chelsea's actions.

"That's not how you treat a German international, especially the captain of the team who is highly respected internationally," said Bierhoff.

"It's not correct that they treat us and their partner Adidas in this way. It seems the club has other methods."

Although permission was finally granted and Adidas agreed to fly Ballack back to Germany, the company decided to allow the midfielder to continue his rehabilitation programme without interruption.