Roman Abramovich’s next plan revealed after handing over ‘stewardship’ of the club
Roman Abramovich has clearly shown his love for the club since taking ownership of Chelsea in 2003. He has definitely been one of the best club owners in the country, and his efforts in football and non football matters have been tremendous.
However, a thin line was drawn after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Labour MP Chris Bryant, had suggested that Chelsea FC should be seized from the Russian billionaire, amid Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.
This had led Abramovich to release a statement on Saturday afternoon saying that he will be handing over the stewardship of the club to trustees of Chelsea’s charitable Foundation.
Roman Abramovich’s statement read: “During my nearly 20-year ownership of Chelsea FC, I have always viewed my role as a custodian of the Club, whose job it is ensuring that we are as successful as we can be today, as well as build for the future, while also playing a positive role in our communities.
“I have always taken decisions with the Club’s best interest at heart. I remain committed to these values. That is why I am today giving trustees of Chelsea’s charitable Foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea FC.”
The foundation consists of six people: Bruce Buck, Chelsea Women’s team manager Emma Hayes, Piara Power, Paul Ramos, John Devine and Sir Hugh Robertson.
Not one to be in the spotlight, Abramovich has handed over the day to day running of the club to people he can trust. And it’s yet to be seen how long this will be for.
Reports from The Telegraph and Sky Sports, reveal that Chelsea are not for sale and that the club won’t entertain bids in the foreseeable future.
However, The Telegraph claim that parties interested in buying Chelsea could try to ‘tempt Abramovich’s resolve’ with takeover bids.
For now, the responsibility of running the club lies with Marina Granovskaia and Petr Cech, and the everyday running of the club will not be affected.
The operational structure of the club remains the same, with the foundation taking over the long-term planning and decisions.
Abramovich has never really had the impression of selling Chelsea in the past, but this present situation could make that possible.
Meanwhile, the Russian will be able to continue investing in Chelsea if sanctions are not imposed against him by the UK government.
Abramovich hasn’t been in attendance at Stamford Bridge since 2018, and this is the latest row involving him and the UK government, and it could just be his last.