Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Abramovich’s Chelsea move could be attempt to avoid sanctions, says MP

Abramovich’s Chelsea move could be attempt to avoid sanctions, says MP

Roman Abramovich’s decision to pass the stewardship of Chelsea to the trustees of the club’s charitable foundation could be an attempt by the Russian to avoid being sanctioned, a Labour MP has said
Roman Abramovich’s decision to pass the stewardship of Chelsea to the trustees of the club’s charitable foundation could be an attempt by the Russian to avoid being sanctioned, a Labour MP has said.

Chris Bryant, the Labour MP who told parliament that Abramovich should be sanctioned last Thursday, questioned the significance of the move to transfer stewardship and raised fears that it could be a ploy to stop the UK government targeting the 55-year-old. Abramovich, who bought Chelsea in 2003, relinquished the running of the club on Saturday and the move was said to have been provoked by the increased focus on him following the invasion of Ukraine.

However Abramovich, who has vehemently disputed reports suggesting his alleged closeness to Vladimir Putin and Russia or that he has done anything to merit being sanctioned, remains Chelsea’s owner and can still fund the club. Chelsea, who could be vulnerable if Abramovich is sanctioned, remain under the same leadership structure and, with sources suggesting that little at the club has changed, Bryant has sought to keep up the heat on the Russian.

“I’m worried that this is a classic Russian ruse to save himself from being sanctioned,” Bryant told the Guardian. “He could save himself a lot of bother by condemning Putin and his criminal invasion of Ukraine.”

On Thursday Bryant used parliamentary privilege to say that Abramovich was identified by the Home Office in 2019 as having links to the Russian state as well as to “corrupt activity and practices”. Telling the House of Commons that he was quoting from a Home Office document leaked to him, Bryant suggested the UK should seize Abramovich’s assets and bar him from owning Chelsea.

Bryant repeated his call for sanctions against Abramovich, but he added that the foreign office is worried about legal challenges from sanctioned individuals. “I think the government is terrified of lawyers,” he said. “The Foreign Office think sanctioned individuals will fight their sanctions in court.”

Bryant has maintained that Abramovich can distance himself from Putin by condemning the Russian president’s actions. Abramovich’s statement on Saturday night made no mention of the invasion of Ukraine. He said that the trustees “are in the best position to look after the interests of the club, players, staff, and fans.”

Chelsea released a short statement on their website on Sunday. It read: “The situation in Ukraine is horrific and devastating. Chelsea FC’s thoughts are with everyone in Ukraine. Everyone at the club is praying for peace.”

Abramovich’s move could attract interest in the club from potential bidders, although Chelsea maintain that the club is not for sale. It is unclear if a sale would be possible if Abramovich is sanctioned. It is possible that Chelsea would be unable to trade if sanctions are imposed on their owner, which could leave the club in a challenging financial position. The government could grant Chelsea an exemption to continue operating in that situation.

With sanctions yet to arrive, though, Abramovich has handed over control to close trusted figures. Chelsea’s charitable foundation is headed by Bruce Buck, the club’s chairman. The other trustees are Emma Hayes, the Chelsea Women’s manager; Piara Powar, the executive director of the anti-racism organisation Fare; Paul Ramos, Chelsea’s director of finance; the sports lawyer John Devine; Sebastian Coe, the president of World Athletics; and Hugh Robertson, the chairman of the British Olympic Association and a former MP and sports minister.

Football decisions, including transfers, contracts and the future of the manager, Thomas Tuchel, will be the responsibility of the director Marina Granovskaia and the technical and performance director, Petr Cech. They are already heavily influential in running the club and in practical terms little will change for now on a day-to-day basis. One legal expert told the Guardian that transfering stewardship was essentially meaningless in legal terms and ultimately amounted to little more than a PR exercise.

Another issue for Chelsea is that the foundation’s trustees are understood to feel that there are legal and regulatory issues, as well as ethical concerns, over the change of stewardship. No discussions were held before Abramovich’s announcement on Saturday and it is understood that the trustees are yet to agree to the request to take over the running of the club.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×