‘How Roman Abramovich destroyed Manchester United’ – Simon Jordan reveals after heavy Man Utd 4-1 defeat
According to former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan, Roman Abramovich becoming Chelsea owner was “one of the worst things to happen to English football”.
Jordan said on talkSPORT: “Last week people were attributing the evolution of the Premier League to Roman Abramovich.”
“With due respect, with the exception of Chelsea, Roman Abramovich was one of the worst things that could have happened to English football.
“We were on a direction of travel that was already upwards, our Premier League was already flying, we already had broadcasters throwing money at us, hand over fist.
“What you did [at Chelsea] was you created hyperinflation. You might have broken up the duopoly, you might have stopped the powerhouses that were Manchester United and Arsenal for a period of time.
“That was going to happen anyway because ownership models were changing.
“What you did was change the landscape by making football so financially unviable for your own reasons.”
Jordan says the introduction of owners such as Abramovich has led to a change in players’ mentality from what it previously was.
He added: “These people aren’t buying these football clubs because they love the football clubs, they’re buying them because they want to get a life insurance policy against political leanings.
“They want to sports wash, they want legitimate regimes like Newcastle, they want to have a situation where they own our English clubs and we sit there and think ‘that’s great’, and the main beneficiaries of it are agents and players.
“What have we got now? A generation of players who have no character, no backbone, no substance, get paid far too much money, the immorality of football comes up for question and I think it’s a tragedy.
“Abramovich’s legacy is what? For Chelsea? Fabulous. For football in this country? I think it’s awful.”
Jordan even went as far as claiming Abramovich has played a part in the demise of Manchester United in recent years.
United legends Roy Keane and Gary Neville claimed on Sunday that some of the club’s players had “given up” in the Manchester derby defeat to City.
Jordan continued: “We’re talking about Man United players who don’t get the reality of playing, ironically, the most iconic football club in the world, and part of that is the financial landscape that was created by people like Roman Abramovich.
“Good riddance, bye bye, next.”