As sanctions loom, Chelsea owner’s statement shows uncertainty for Russian football club owners

Roman Abramovich’s handing over stewardship of Chelsea FC is the most high-profile response amongst mega-rich Russians grappling with economic uncertainty and calls for blacklisting

File photo of Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich | Photo: Wikimedia Commons

New Delhi: Following criticism of his close links with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid a threat of sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian billionaire and Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich announced the handing over of the “stewardship and care” of the club to the trustees of its charitable foundation. 

The decision followed calls for Abramovich to completely relinquish control of the club, even divestment of his shares in it. 

“During my nearly 20-year ownership of Chelsea FC, I have always viewed my role as a custodian of the club whose job it is ensuring that we are as successful as we can be today, as well as build for the future, while also playing a positive role in our communities…. I remain committed to these values,” Abramovich said in a statement posted to the club’s website. 

Abramovich’s decision comes two days after Labour Party MP Chris Bryant had cited a leaked 2019 Home Office document in the UK parliament to level allegations of the Russian businessman’s direct links to Vladimir Putin, “public association with corrupt activity” and paying for political influence. 

“Surely Mr Abramovich should no longer be able to own a football club in this country? Surely we should be looking at seizing some of his assets, including his £150 million home, and making sure that other people who have had tier 1 visas like this are not engaged in malign activity in the UK?” Bryant had argued. 

Bryant Saturday praised Abramovich’s handing over of ‘stewardship’ of Chelsea, called on him to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Sunday listed 11 more demands as potential policy responses to Russia, including “sanction further list of Putin supporters, cronies and oligarchs”.

The uk must still:
??sanction Russian Duma and security council members
?? sanction further list of Putin supporters, cronies and oligarchs
??seize or freeze assets in UK
??mount full sports and cultural boycott of Russia
??public register of beneficial ownership of property

— Chris Bryant (@RhonddaBryant) February 27, 2022

Chelsea has since uploaded a two-line statement expressing its horror and devastation over the conflict in Ukraine and did not provide any clarity on whether Abramovich is actively selling any shares in the club or will only step back from day-to-day operations. 

Ripple effects of invasion on football

But the Abramovich case is just one high-profile example of the ripple effects the invasion of Ukraine has had on giant, lucrative industries like European football. 

The Ukrainian Premier League stands suspended. UEFA (Union of European Football Associations), the governing body of European football, shifted the host of the upcoming Champions League final from St. Petersburg to the Paris suburb Saint-Denis. 

Popular German club FC Schalke 04 has publicly disassociated itself from longtime sponsor Gazprom, Russia’s state-owned energy corporation. 

Individual footballers have also spoken out — Russian striker Fyodor Smolov, and overseas-based Ukrainian players like Ruslan Malinovskyi and Oleksandr Zinchenko have all made statements against the conflict.

Public scrutiny of Russian oligarchs

But it hasn’t stopped at symbolic gestures. Public scrutiny has now turned towards Russian oligarchs who either own, or are closely associated with, football clubs in western Europe — Maxim Demin (AFC Bournemouth), Uzbek-born Russian citizen Alisher Usmanov (Everton), Dmitry Rybolovlev (AS Monaco and Cercle Brugge) and Ukrainian-born Russian citizen Valeriy Oyf (Vitesse). 

While Demin and Oyf are reportedly yet to be in any list of Putin-linked names to be sanctioned or assets to be seized, Usmanov could be the next domino to fall from a footballing PR perspective. 

According to The Telegraph, MP Bryant had named both Abramovich and Usmanov as part of an ultimatum — unequivocally condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or remain the focus of sanctions in UK Parliament. 

“They should be lining up in front of the TV cameras to say ‘surely to God this can’t be happening’,” Bryant told The Daily Telegraph. “Otherwise we will conclude that they are still in hock to Putin.”

(Edited by Saikat Niyogi)