The proceeds should benefit the victims of the Ukraine war through a foundation, the 55-year-old said in a statement on Wednesday Chelsea-site with. Abramovich has been in the headlines in Britain for weeks because of his alleged closeness to Russian President Vladimir Putin. MPs have repeatedly called for him to be put on the sanctions list.
“I have always made my decisions in the best interests of the club,” Abramovich said in the statement. In his opinion, the sale is now in the interests of the club, the fans, the employees, as well as the sponsors and partners. He will not demand repayment of his loans to the London club, to which he is said to have lent a total of £1.5 billion (1.8 billion euros), according to media reports. “For me it was never about business or money, it was about pure passion for the game and the club.”
Abramovich has Chelsea since joining in 2003, it has grown from a wallflower into one of the biggest clubs in Europe. During this period, the “Blues” won the English Championship and the FA Cup five times each, as well as the League Cup three times and the Champions League and Europa League twice each. After the Champions League triumph in the summer, the German coach Thomas Tuchel gave Chelsea with his team for the first time the title at the Club World Cup.
Despite all the success, Abramovich was repeatedly criticized for his proximity to the Kremlin in Great Britain. According to Labor Party leader Keir Starmer, a Home Office document shows the oligarch was targeted by authorities over his links to Putin and allegations of corruption. Last week, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Abramovich had already announced the administration of Chelsea donate to a charitable foundation.
A sale has been in the air since then. According to Abramovich, the money should go to a charitable foundation. This will “benefit all victims of the war in Ukraine” as immediate aid and to support long-term reconstruction.
Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss has already expressed interest in a takeover. He and three other people received an offer to Chelsea to buy, confirmed the 86-year-old in the Swiss tabloid “Blick”. However, it is not yet clear whether he will buy it. “I have to wait four to five days now. Abramovich is currently asking far too much.”
Source: Nachrichten
