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Russian billionaire gives up "stewardship and care" of Chelsea club

27 February 2022 00:20 (UTC +04:00)

Chelsea club owner Roman Abramovich announced on Saturday he will be giving the “stewardship” of the club over to trustees of Chelsea’s charitable foundation, APA reports citig CNN.

“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 have always taken decisions with the Club’s best interest at heart. I remain committed to these values. That is why I am today giving trustees of Chelsea’s charitable Foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea FC,” Abramovich wrote in a statement.
“I believe that currently they are in the best position to look after the interests of the Club, players, staff, and fans,” he said.

Abramovich, who was born in Russia, made the announcement after calls he should be barred from owning the English Premier League side due to his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime.

In 2021, Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) called on US President Joe Biden to sanction at least eight high-profile Russian figures it said was close to Putin.

In a copy of the letter obtained by CNN, Abramovich is named on the "priority shortlist," for what FBK describes as being a key enabler and an alleged beneficiary of "Kremlin kleptocracy."

A spokesperson for Abramovich said in an email statement to CNN that "there is no basis for such claims which are entirely without foundation."

Navalny was detained on Jan. 17, 2021, moments after arriving in Moscow following months of treatment in Germany after being poisoned in August 2020 with nerve agent Novichok.