28 when Abramovich’s PR pushed an apparent move for him to broker peace. They had not signed off on the plan, though, and the vague proposal did not quell the anger that a man accused of being so closely linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin could retain the ownership of a high-profile status symbol in the heart of London.Īnother public play to shield his reputation from Putin’s war came on Feb. 26 with the pledge to relinquish “stewardship and care” of the club to its charitable foundation trustees. Sensing the need to act, Abramovich offered cosmetic changes to the ownership on Feb. The demands grew for Abramovich to be sanctioned by the British government, which had already thwarted his efforts to regain the visa in recent years, according to a legislator. Within hours of the war beginning, Abramovich was accused in the House of Commons of having links to corrupt activity and paying for political influence in Russia. It would turn out to be the 21st and last men’s team trophy in 19 years running the team his wealth transformed from being glamorous but only occasionally competing for the biggest trophies, into one of the most successful in European football.Ībramovich tried to cling onto Chelsea, even as anger over Russia’s unprovoked aggression toward its neighbor intensified, backed not just by loyal fans but club greats including John Terry hailing him as “the best.” Three months later, Abramovich is being replaced as Chelsea owner by a group fronted by American investor Todd Boehly, a prospect unimaginable when the oligarch was on the field in Abu Dhabi on Feb. ![]() Then everything rapidly changed from Feb. There was, maybe, a British visa to be regained after he withdrew his application for a renewal in 2018. It looked like the gradual reintroduction of Abramovich into a more high-profile role around Chelsea again, attached to his social activism. Abramovich was feted with speeches praising his work through Chelsea to campaign against antisemitism.
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