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Putin’s Pal Says He’ll Sell Chelsea Football Club as Ukraine Invasion Intensifies

Roman Abramovich instructed the team to start a charity fund for victims of the war in Ukraine.

Roman Abramovich, a Russian oligarch and owner of the Chelsea Football Club in London, announced plans on Wednesday to sell the team amid intensifying calls for him to face sanctions in the United Kingdom. Abramovich, a confidant of President Vladimir Putin, had previously vowed to transfer club stewardship to the trustees of a charitable foundation. In a statement, he said he had instructed the team to set up a charity to support “all victims of the war in Ukraine.” “As I have stated before, I have always taken decisions with the Club’s best interest at heart. In the current situation, I have therefore taken the decision to sell the club, as I believe this is in the best interest of the Club, the fans, the employees, as well as the Club’s sponsors and partners,” he wrote. Abramovich took over Chelsea in 2003 and injected massive amounts of cash, allowing the team to acquire star players and dominate European competitions.