However, Abramovich will remain Chelsea’s owner, and the Russian billionaire, who has invested over £1 billion in the Stamford Bridge club since 2003, will not require the club to repay the loans he owes him, ensuring the club’s long-term viability.
It’s also been reported that Abramovich is adamant that Chelsea will not be sold.
“A lot of Chelsea fans will want to know if he’s still going to put money in,” Sky Sports News head reporter Kaveh Solhekol said. “I believe he will continue to support the club, but that might change if the UK Government announces that he will be sanctioned – which they haven’t done yet.”
MPs have said this week that Abramovich, who was born in Russia, should not be permitted to buy Chelsea because of his suspected ties to Vladimir Putin’s regime.
After Russian troops crossed the border into Ukraine on Tuesday, Labour MP Chris Bryant said the Russian-Israeli billionaire’s assets should be seized, questioned whether he should be allowed to run his own football club, and cited a leaked government document suggesting he shouldn’t be allowed to be based in the UK.
What did Abramovich have to say?
“During my nearly 20-year ownership of Chelsea FC, I have always viewed my role as a custodian of the club, whose job it is to ensure that we are as successful as we can be today, as well as build for the future, while also playing a positive role in our communities,” Abramovich said in a rare statement released on the club’s website on Saturday evening.
I’ve always made judgments in the best interests of the Club. These are the values to which I am still dedicated. That is why I am entrusting Chelsea FC’s leadership and care to the trustees of Chelsea’s charity Foundation today.
“I believe that currently they are in the best position to look after the interests of the Club, players, staff, and fans.”
So, who’s in charge at Chelsea now?
Micah Richards, a Sky Sports pundit, reacted angrily to Abramovich’s comments, asking: “There are so many questions that need to be answered, and to make a statement like that, what exactly does it mean?
“If you read it, it reads like a code – we’re not going to tell you what’s going on, but here you go: study it, pull the bones out of it, and figure out exactly what it means.
“I believe it is inadequate.”
According to reports, Abramovich will no longer be involved in day-to-day club operations, and all long-term strategic decision-making responsibilities would be transferred to the Chelsea Foundation.
Bruce Buck, John Devine, Emma Hayes, Piara Powar, and Hugh Robertson are trustees for the Chelsea Foundation.
When it comes to transfers, executive director Marina Granovskaia, technical advisor Petr Cech, and head coach Thomas Tuchel will stick to the club’s budgets.
“As far as football is concerned, nothing has changed,” Solhekol said.
On Sunday, Chelsea will face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, which will be shown live on Sky Sports.
In the run-up to the Wembley showpiece,
It’s distracting us, it’s frightening us, and to some extent, I get it, I understand the critical views of the club and those of us who represent it,” Tuchel said. “We’ll never be completely free of it.”
