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- Roman Abramovich has announced he will be selling Chelsea Football Club.
- The announcement comes as the Russian oligarch, reportedly worth $13 billion, faces scrutiny for his relationship with Vladimir Putin.
- Abramovich is now reportedly “hastily selling” his United Kingdom properties to “avoid potential financial sanctions.”
Roman Abramovich, the 55-year-old oligarch who has owned Chelsea Football Club on the Premier League since 2003, has announced that he will be selling the club. The official statement from Abramovich announcing the sale comes as the billionaire faces scrutiny for his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is currently waging an unprovoked war on Ukraine.
“I would like to address the speculation in media over the past few days in relation to my ownership of Chelsea FC,” Abramovich’s statement begins. “As I have stated before, I have always taken decisions with the Club’s best interest at heart. In the current situation, I have therefore taken the decision to sell the Club, as I believe this is in the best interest of the Club, the fans, the employees, as well as the Club’s sponsors and partners.”
“I hope that I will be able to visit Stamford Bridge one last time to say goodbye to all of you in person. It has been a privilege of a lifetime to be part of Chelsea FC and I am proud of all our joint achievements. Chelsea Football Club and its supporters will always be in my heart.”
In the statement, Abramovich says that the sale of the current European and World Champions “will not be fast-tracked” and will “follow due process.” Abramovich also confirmed that the proceeds of the sale will go to a Ukraine war victim charity:
“I have instructed my team to set up a charitable foundation where all net proceeds from the sale will be donated. The foundation will be for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine. This includes providing critical funds towards the urgent and immediate needs of victims, as well as supporting the long-term work of recovery.”
The seventh most valuable football club in the world behind Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Manchester City, Forbes currently estimates that Chelsea has a current worth of $3.2 billion.
According to reports from earlier in the week, Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss told Swiss newspaper Blick that he was one of four people that has “received an offer to buy Chelsea”
“Abramovich is trying to sell all his villas in England; he also wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly,” Wyss said.