Thomas
Tuchel has pleaded for questions put to him about Roman Abramovich to end,
saying he has "no answers".
A visibly moved Tuchel asked reporters to stop asking him questions about
the war in Ukraine, saying the situation is "horrible".
"You have to stop, I am not a politician," Tuchel said, eventually halting
journalists after several questions at his pre-match press conference before
Chelsea play Luton in the FA Cup.
"I can only repeat myself, and I feel bad to repeat it as I never
experienced war. So even to talk about it, I feel bad.
"I'm very privileged as I sit here in peace. I do the best I can but you
have to stop asking me these questions as I have no answers for you."
Labour MP Chris Bryant used Parliamentary Privilege to reveal that Chelsea
owner Abramovich is selling his UK home and another flat, telling the House
of Commons the Russian billionaire is "terrified of being sanctioned".
Tuchel says Abramovich's decision to pass over control of the club to
trustees has made no difference to him and the team, or the day to day
running of the club.
He reiterated he does not expect his responsibilities at Stamford Bridge to
change, despite Abramovich announcing his intention to hand stewardship and
care of the club to its charitable foundation. Abramovich released his
statement on Saturday, on the eve of Chelsea's Carabao Cup final defeat to
Liverpool.
Speaking ahead of Chelsea's FA Cup fifth-round tie against Luton, Tuchel
said: "For me as a coach and in charge of the first team, the position
doesn't change too much in the daily business.
"I have daily exchanges with [director] Marina [Granovskaia] and [technical
and performance advisor] Petr Cech about how to improve the first team and
this won't stop because they stay in charge. It doesn't affect what I do on
a daily basis."
When asked if Abramovich's ownership of Chelsea is a problem, Tuchel added:
"It's a bit too much for me to answer. I'm not aware of any details and I'm
not aware of the whole situation. We all agree there are situations much
more important than football.
"This will never change. Situations like war are of course so much more
important but it's not for me to comment on the situation with Abramovich. I
don't know enough about it."
Tuchel: We're calm in centre of a storm
"There are much more important things than football. Of course, war is
horrible and there cannot be any other opinion than this. But why should we
be more distracted than anyone else? There is a huge distraction going on
and we are worried but we try to create an atmosphere where we can focus on
our passion.
"We are privileged but of course across Europe, everyone has noise in their
heads they don't like. Everyone is trying to do their best to do their
work."
When asked if he was worried about the future running of Chelsea, Tuchel
said: "I'm not sure if I'm the person to give any messages to the fans that
isn't sporting.
"We try to be calm here and we are calm in the centre of a storm or of some
noise around us that we cannot control and we are also not responsible for
it. It's best to stay calm, focus on what we love and what we do. This is
sport. We have a right to focus on sport and the players have a right to be
focused. This is what we can tell the fans and this is what they saw on
Sunday.
"There is a lot of commitment from the players and the fans but everyone is
aware there are more important things. The situation in Ukraine is much more
important than football and yet still there was a full stadium at Wembley
and two strong teams who played a fantastic match. We can distract the fans
and entertain them, and I don't see any other solution."
Abramovich 'trying to broker peace' between Russia & Ukraine
Abramovich is attempting to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, the
Chelsea owner's spokesperson has said.
The Russian-Israeli billionaire handed "stewardship and care" of Chelsea to
the club foundation's trustees on Saturday, in a move aimed to protect the
Stamford Bridge club.
But now the 55-year-old is trying to help bring an end to Russia's invasion
of Ukraine.
"I can confirm that Roman Abramovich was contacted by the Ukrainian side for
support in achieving a peaceful resolution, and that he has been trying to
help ever since," Abramovich's spokesperson told the PA news agency.
"Considering what is at stake, we would ask for your understanding as to why
we have not commented on neither the situation as such nor his involvement.
Thank you."
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