Roman Abramovich to sell Chelsea & gift returns to victims of War in Ukraine

Roman Abramovich to sell Chelsea football club.

Russian Billionaire Roman Abramovich says net returns from the sale of Chelsea football club will be gifted to a foundation “for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine”; Hansjorg Wyss has claimed he has been offered the chance to buy the London club.

Roman Abramovich has been the owner of Chelsea since 2003

Roman Abramovich has made it known he is selling Chelsea Football Club, with all net returns from the sale to be gifted to victims of the war in Ukraine.

Roman Abramovich to sell Chelsea, In a statement on the London Premier League club’s website, businessman Abramovich said it was an “incredibly difficult decision to make”, which “pains” him.

Russian Billionaire Roman Abramovich gave “stewardship and care” of Chelsea to its foundation trustees following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In his statement, he says he will not ask “for any loans to be repaid” and returns of the sale would be gifted to war victims.

Hansjorg Wyss, a Swiss millionaire, told Swiss tabloid Blick on Wednesday that he had been offered the chance to acquire the west London club.

Wyss claimed that Roman  Abramovich wanted “to get rid of Chelsea quickly” after the threat of sanctions was raised in Parliament.

The 55-year-old Roman Abramovich is accused of having close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which he denies.

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On Saturday, he handed Chelsea’s “stewardship and care” to the club foundation’s trustees, in a step intended at protecting the Stamford Bridge club in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has now officially confessed he wants to sell the club, with Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss stating he has been offered the opportunity to acquire it.

Chelsea owes Abramovich £1.5 billion after he bought the club for £140 million in 2003, but he insists he will not ask for any of the loans to be repaid.

Roman Abramovich disclosed that: the sale of Chelsea “will not be fast-tracked but will follow due process”.

“This has never been about business nor money for me, but about pure passion for the game and club”.

Full text of Roman Abramovich’s statement

I would like to address the speculation in media over the past few days in relation to my ownership of Chelsea FC. 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.

The sale of the club will not be fast-tracked but will follow due process. I will not be asking for any loans to be repaid. This has never been about business nor money for me, but about pure passion for the game and club. Moreover, 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.

Please know that this has been an incredibly difficult decision to make, and it pains me to part with the club in this manner. However, I do believe this is in the best interest of the club.

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.

Thank you,

Roman

Roman Abramovich impact in Chelsea since 2003

Chelsea has been revolutionized since his ownership of the club, and he has set the standard for how much money is required to compete at the top level of the Premier League.

Abramovich has loaned the club more than £1.5 billion in all, which has enabled the team to achieve enormous success.

The team has won the Champions League twice, the Premier League five times, the FA Cup five times, the Europa League twice, and the League Cup three times under his ownership.

They won the Uefa Super Cup in August 2021 and their first Club World Cup in February 2022, ensuring that the Blues have won every major trophy since Abramovich took over the club.