The sale of Chelsea Football Club has been confirmed by Roman Abramovich in an official statement released by the club. He intends to give up his ownership of the club and has chosen to cancel the debts the club owes him, claiming that it was “never about business or money” in the first place.
In only a few days after declaring his intention to walk aside from Chelsea for the time being in the wake of considerable criticism over his links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Abramovich has decided to sell the club for cash. There have also been rumours of his owning stock in a steel firm that is responsible for the construction of the Russian tanks that are presently occupying Ukraine.
Last Monday, a member of Parliament from the United Kingdom called on the government to take Abramovich’s personal assets, which include his ownership of the Chelsea Football Club. It was quickly followed by the sanctioning of another Russian billionaire, Alisher Usmanov, by the European Union. After being threatened with the seizure of his personal assets, Abramovich allegedly decided to sell his London property, and he has now chosen to sell the football club as well.
“Given the present circumstances, I have chosen to sell the club, believing that doing so is in the best interests of the club, the fans, the staff, as well as the Club’s sponsors and partners,” Abramovich said in an official statement.
Roman Abramovich is looking to sell Chelsea as quickly as possible
The Russian businessman has affirmed in his statement that he “will not be asking for any debts to be returned.” Abramovich has also indicated that the club’s sale would not be expedited and will instead follow due procedure, but it seems doubtful that this will be the case in practise.
It was only a matter of time before the word of Chelsea FC’s availability spread like wildfire, with American businessman Todd Boehly and Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss apparently forming a partnership to purchase the west London club. Raine Group, a New York-based merchant bank, is assisting Abramovich with the sale of his business.
Even two-time UFC World Champion Conor McGregor has shown interest in purchasing Chelsea Football Club, which has reportedly set a Friday deadline as owner Roman Abramovich seeks to hastily sell the club in order to avoid being sanctioned by the United Kingdom government.
