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“The sale of the Club will not be accelerated, but will follow the due process. I will not ask for any loans to be repaid,” said the Russian oligarch.
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- See the retaliation to Russian football after the invasion of Ukraine
- Meet other clubs in Europe under the power of Russian oligarchs
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According to the English press, Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss and American Todd Boehly, also a billionaire, are part of a consortium interested in buying the current European champion.
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Roman Abramovich will sell Chelsea – Photo: Getty Images
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The 55-year-old Russian businessman bought the club in 2003 for £140m. He has since invested over £1.5bn in nearly 20 years. in the note, Abramovich assured that he will not collect the loans made to the Chelsea.
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– I will not ask for any loan to be repaid. It was never about business or money for me, it was about pure passion for the game and the club.”
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With a strong connection to President Vladimir Putin, Abramovich has been under pressure from British public opinion since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Parliamentarians called for the oligarch to leave the London club. Initially, the businessman handed over command of the team to the club’s charitable foundation.
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Abramovich and Azplicueta with the trophy: Club World Cup was the only title missing for the Russian mogul since he became owner of the club in 2003 — Photo: Chelsea official website
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Now, he starts the process for the Blues to have a new owner. According to the Russian billionaire, all the net profit from the operation will go to a foundation created to support victims of the war in Ukraine.
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– I have instructed my team to create 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 essential funds for the urgent and immediate needs of victims, as well as supporting long-term recovery work.
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See the full note released by Roman Abramovich:
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I would like to address the media speculation in recent days regarding my ownership of the Chelsea FC. As I have said before, I have always made decisions with the best interests of the Club in mind. In the current situation, I therefore took the decision to sell the Club, as I believe it is in the interests of the Club, the fans, the employees, as well as the Club’s sponsors and partners.
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The sale of the Club will not be accelerated, but will follow due process. I will not ask for any loan to be repaid. It was never about business or money for me, it was about pure passion for the game and the club. In addition, I instructed my team to create 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 essential funds for the urgent and immediate needs of victims, as well as supporting long-term recovery work.
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Please know that this was an incredibly difficult decision to make, and it pains me to part with the Club in this way. However, I believe this is in the best interest of the club.
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