Russian Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea since 2003, announced that he had entrusted the management of the club to the administrators of his charitable foundation, according to a press release published on Saturday.
This announcement comes as the noose tightens on the oligarchs and Russian interests since the invasion of Ukraine.
“I have always taken decisions with the best interests of the club at heart. I remain committed to these values. That is why I am now entrusting the trustees of the Chelsea Charitable Foundation with the management of Chelsea FC. I believe that they are currently best placed to look after the interests of the club, the players, the staff and the supporters”, explains Roman Abramovitch.
“During the almost 20 years that I have owned Chelsea, I have always seen my role as that of a goalkeeper for the club, whose task is to ensure that we perform as well as possible today and that we build for the future, while playing a positive role in our communities”, also underlines the Russian billionaire, who does not specify whether his withdrawal is temporary or permanent.
While the British authorities have announced several sanctions targeting Russian interests, Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran for her part designated Abramovich on Wednesday as one of Vladimir Putin’s 35 “key men” who should be sanctioned.
Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel admitted on Friday that the club owner’s situation “disturbed” his team.
“We can’t pretend it’s not a problem. The situation in general, for me and my staff, for everyone at Cobham (the club’s training center, editor’s note), for the players, is horrible,” Tuchel told reporters without mentioning Abramovich’s name.
“Nobody expected this. It’s very unreal, as I said, it disturbs our spirits, it darkens our excitement as we approach the final” of the Coupe de la Ligue, which will oppose his club at Liverpool on Sunday, he added.
