Under the spotlight since the start of the war in Ukraine, the owner of the Blues begins to be surrounded from all sides.
Usually so understated, Roman Abramovich now has to step forward with a ton of spotlight on him. Pointed out for his links with Vladimir Putin, the owner of Chelsea reacted quickly when the war in Ukraine broke out. In order to avoid any problem for his club, the Russian magnate had entrusted the management of his club to the administrators of the Blues charitable foundation.
But yesterday, the English press reported that several of these directors were threatening to leave their posts. The reasons are multiple: some regret not having been warned in advance, others believe that this mode of operation is not the appropriate organization for a football club.
Abramovich back to the wall
A complicated situation which became more tense in the evening since the British media announced that Abramovich would seriously consider selling Chelsea and that several takeover offers would already be ready. Are we witnessing the end of Abramovic’s reign? the DailyMail indicates this morning that the Russian is in any case pushed towards the exit. the Telegram specifies that these takeover offers are expected by the end of the week, Abramovich fearing the sanctions of the British government against him.
Back to the wall, Abramovich is clearly seen as an ally of Putin, because the DailyMail reveals that the boss of the Blues owns very large shares in a steel company Evraz which manufactures the tanks sent to Ukraine by the Russian army. Evraz who also has a factory in the Donbass (region targeted by the Russians) since 2010 and in which Abramovich has interests. It is not difficult to understand the presence of the businessman in the negotiation process between Russia and Ukraine. But his involvement now risks losing him to Chelsea.
