The end of Abramovich at Chelsea! The Russian oligarch is giving up the club’s management

Russian oligarch relinquishes control of Chelsea FC in London. Given his links to Russian President Putin, he has been the target of strong criticism calling for him to lose the prestigious asset.

Sports news sites, led by Sky Sports or BBC Sport, carried a report on Saturday evening that directly affects the famous English club Chelsea FC and its owner Roman Abramovich.

Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, many Russians in England have come under fire for criticism. In particular, we are talking about those who are directly linked to the person of Russian President Vladimir Putin. His inner circle includes Roman Abramovich, the former governor of Chukotka and the 13th richest Russian in the world with a fortune of $10 billion.

Fifty-five-year-old Abramovich has been at the helm of London’s Chelsea FC for over twenty years. Under his leadership and with the help of his bottomless pocket, the club has risen to the top of world football and celebrated winning many trophies, including with the help of Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, voices from English politicians grew louder to prevent Abramovich from owning an English sports club. It looks like that is exactly what will happen.

In a statement that appeared on the club’s website on Saturday night, Blues fans can read the following lines::

“During my more than 20 years of ownership of Chelsea FC, I have always considered myself to be the custodian of the club’s values. I have tried to build an organisation that will play a positive role within our community and that will be successful in the long term.”

“I have always had the interests of Chelsea FC at heart. That is why today I am handing over the management of the club to Chelsea’s charitable foundation . I believe it will best look after the interests of the club, players, staff and fans,” reads one of the few statements the Russian has made during his ownership of the club.

The organisation, formed in 2010, will at least officially take over the management of Chelsea. Whether this will have any effect on the club’s operations will only become clear in the days, months and years ahead. There is also the very likely possibility of a new investor coming in.

Source: Chelsea FC, Sky Sports, BBC Sport