Chelsea fans would have never imagined their club suffering because of a war taking place hundreds of miles away from Stamford Bridge. But that’s exactly what happened in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine, prompting Roman Abramovich to part ways with the love of his life.
Abramovich built his fortune primarily through the oil industry, particularly through his ownership of Sibneft, and through aluminum production. His rise in Russian business circles during the post-Soviet era was meteoric. In 2003, he decided to buy Chelsea, with the vision of making them the best team in England, and that’s what he did.
Unfortunately, he was closely tied to high-ranking politicians in the Kremlin, Moscow, and was indirectly accused of enabling the war in Ukraine. He has also been accused of being close to President Vladimir Putin, something he has vehemently denied on several occasions. But for the British government, the links were clear enough. Sanctions were put on him, freezing all his assets in the UK.
🚨 Chelsea’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich is reported to have been effectively barred from living in Britain ever again as he is named as one of the ‘key enablers’ of Vladimir Putin’s regime.
(Source: Daily Mail) pic.twitter.com/L7mr6z49pW
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) February 24, 2022
There were concerns as to how Chelsea would operate at the time, as the club faced severe restrictions under a special government license. These included limitations on ticket sales, merchandise restrictions, and a complete freeze on player transfers. After months of negotiations, the UK allowed Abramovich to sell the club. He didn’t want to, that was clear. But he had to, for the good of the club, as he maintained.
On May 30, 2022, Abramovich completed the £4.25 billion sale to an American consortium. The deal comprised £2.5 billion for the purchase and an additional £1.75 billion committed to future investments in the club.
The consortium was led by Todd Boehly but also included Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter, and Hansjoerg Wyss as key investors. Following the sale, Abramovich announced that he would donate all the proceeds to the victims of the war.
Abramovich is not happy, says John Obi Mikel
Mikel was one of the key players at Stamford Bridge during Abramovich’s time in charge of the West London club, and the legend, on his own podcast—The Obi One Podcast—revealed a conversation he had with those close to the Russian billionaire.
“I’ve spoken to some people close to Roman,” he said. “He’s not happy, he’s still really angry what happened that he had to sell, he’s not happy at all that he’s lost his “baby”.
Mikel, who played 372 games for Chelsea, also credited the entire success of he club to Abramovich’s leadership. “Today, we have to understand that there’s no Chelsea Football Club—where we are and the success that we’ve had over these years I promise you—without Roman Abramovich.”
Abramovich, who considered himself a true blue is understandably unhappy at the state of the club just like most Chelsea fans are at the moment. Todd Boehly’s leadership has been shaky at best, and the club has failed to achieve any form of success since the time he left.
Leaving behind a legacy
In a league in a country where football club owners find it extremely difficult to win fans over, Abramovich did it by simply demanding success, regardless of the cost. Yes, on the outside, his decisions looked harsh. He brought in the culture of ruthlessly firing managers who would not live up to his expectations.
