Russia-Ukraine war has ignited football as well. Protests are being reported against Russia from around the world. Britain is politically and diplomatically opposed to the Russian aggression.
Protests are taking place in Britain against Russian President Vladimir Putin. From protest rallies to meetings-processions, sit-ins — everything is happening. In the meantime, Chelsea is in trouble. Despite being a Russian owner, the club has become an English club but a common target.
Roman Abramovich has been the owner of Chelsea since 2004. Abramovich is rumored to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The billionaire has contributed in various ways to Putin’s tenure in power and to the strengthening of his hand.
Meanwhile, the House of Commons has called for the removal of Chelsea’s ownership from Abramovich. The Russian billionaire has resigned indefinitely from his role of caretaker Chelsea. Chelsea will now be looked after directly by members of the club’s charitable foundation. However, Abramovich has not yet relinquished ownership of Chelsea.
Abramovich is one of Putin’s closest associates
Abramovich is one of Putin’s closest associatesPhoto: Collected
Abramovich announced the handover in an official statement last night. “In my 20 years of ownership at Chelsea, I have always seen myself as a guardian of the club,” he said. The responsibility was to bring the club to the level that the club is now. At the same time, I have focused on building the future of Chelsea. At the same time, I have taken care to play a positive role in the society. I have always decided keeping in mind the interests of the club. I still make the decision keeping these values in mind. So today I am handing over the responsibility of the club to the members (trustees) of the Chelsea Charitable Foundation. I think they will be able to look after the club, the players, the officials and the supporters in the best way possible. ‘
It is clear from the statement that Abramovich is not giving up ownership. Only the leader of the club has resigned indefinitely. He will not be directly involved in any activities of the club. Members of the Chelsea Charitable Foundation include Bruce Buck, John Devine, Emma Hedge, Piara Power, Paul Ramos and Sir Hugh Robertson.
In Abramovich’s absence, they will now look after Chelsea. The decisions that Abramovich used to make will now be made by the members of the Charitable Foundation.
In a recent debate in the House of Commons, MP Bryant called on the British government to confiscate Abramovich’s assets and remove him from ownership of the Chelsea club. Bryant said the leaked documents, which contained information about Abramovich, did not indicate that the Russian billionaire could own a top football club in England. The British government recently announced plans to impose sanctions on three Russian millionaires living in Britain. All three are close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin launched an attack on Ukraine last Thursday. The British government is strongly opposed to Russia’s treatment of the neighboring country.
One of the three is Roman Abramovich. Now let’s see if the problem is solved by leaving the responsibility of guardianship. Chelsea will play in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool tonight at 10:30.