Roman Abramovich has broken his silence on the pain of being forced to sell Chelsea as a consequence of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Three years after the Russian billionaire was forced to cut ties with the Premier League club, the British government are still threatening to go to to court to ensure the proceeds reached victims of the conflict in Ukraine.
Abramovich was sanctioned in the wake of Russia’s invasion in 2022 and sold two-time Champions League winner Chelsea to a consortium fronted by Americans Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital for £2.5 billion in May of that year.
In a new book, ‘Sanctioned: The Inside Story of the Sale of Chelsea FC’ the 58-year-old, who funded and presided over two decades of unprecedented success at Stamford Bridge, addresses the pain of effectively being ousted from his position.
When asked on Chelsea and the future, Abramovich said: ‘Perhaps one day there would be a situation where I could attend a match and say a proper goodbye, but nothing more than that.
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‘I don’t have any interest in any role in a football club, certainly not a professional role.
‘There might be something where I could help with academies and youngsters, giving greater opportunities to people from difficult backgrounds, if there were an initiative that could make a difference.
‘But as for ownership or a professional role at a club, I am done with that in this lifetime.’
Abramovich said before the sale that net proceeds would go to a charitable foundation “for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine.”
But the money remained frozen in a bank and the British government said it was still to make its way to those in need.
A joint statement by Treasury chief Rachel Reeves and Foreign Secretary David Lammy earliest this month confirmed the government was ready to mount legal action.
‘The government is determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine, following Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion. We are deeply frustrated that it has not been possible to reach agreement on this with Mr Abramovich so far,’ they said.
‘While the door for negotiations will remain open, we are fully prepared to pursue this through the courts if required, to ensure people suffering in Ukraine can benefit from these proceeds as soon as possible.’
Abramovich was sanctioned when the British government targeted what then-Foreign Secretary Liz Truss described as ‘oligarchs and kleptocrats’ with close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin and ‘complicit in his aggression.’
The funds from the sale, however, still belong to Abramovich even though they are frozen. They cannot be used or moved without the issue of a licence from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation.
In the soon to be released book, Abramovich also said he would not allow himself to be distracted by the accusations towards him
‘There is an old Russian saying, ‘The dogs bark but the caravan keeps moving,’ and that fits here,’ he also told the book’s author, Nick Purewal.
‘Whatever I do, people will always accuse me of some kind of agenda. In the end, I have done what I have done simply to try to help.’