Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea FC, smiles after his team’s victory during the UEFA Champions League Final between Manchester City and Chelsea at Estadio do Dragao on May 29, 2021 in Porto, Portugal.
Alexander Hasenstein | UEFA | Getty Images
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich He said on Wednesday he would sell Chelsea Football Club In England, a dramatic move came in response to outrage over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Abramovich at the same time announced that he had instructed the famous team to create a foundation that would use all the net proceeds from the sale of Chelsea “for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine”.
The announcement of the sale came less than a week after the billionaire said he had transferred oversight of the club to trustees of a charity, and following calls that Abramovich faced sanctions from the United Kingdom.
“As I have said before, I have always made decisions with the best interests of the club,” Abramovich said in a statement. “In the current situation, I have taken the decision to sell the club, as I believe this is in the interest of the club, the fans and the staff as well as the club’s sponsors and partners.”
“I hope you know that this was a very difficult decision, and it pains me to be separated from the club in this way,” he added.
Tuesday Ukrainian lawyer confronts UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson About the lack of penalties for Abramovich.
“You are talking about more sanctions, Prime Minister. But Roman Abramovich not punished. He is in London. His children are not in the bombing. “His children are there, in London,” said advocate Daria Kalinyuk, executive director of the Anti-Corruption Centre.
Also on Tuesday, Johnson’s government introduced legislation in Parliament targeting what the government described as “dirty money from Russia and elsewhere” that has been hoarded in British assets.
Abramovich bought Chelsea FC, which is based in London, in 2003. During his tenure, Chelsea won the Premier League Football League title, the English Premier League and the prestigious FA Cup five times each. Chelsea are currently third in the Premier League, behind leaders Manchester City and Liverpool.
Earlier Wednesday, the Biden administration said it was forming a new task force To impose US and allies sanctions on Russian officials and oligarchs who aided in the war in Ukraine, launched by President Vladimir Putin.
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