Roman
Abramovich has denied he wants his £1.5billion loan to Chelsea repaid and
has committed to giving proceeds from the sale of the club to charity.
The club was put up for sale by Abramovich in March just before he was
sanctioned by the UK Government for his links to Russian president Vladimir
Putin following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Abramovich said he would not be asking for his loans to Chelsea to be repaid
and that proceeds from the sale of the club would go to a charitable
foundation for "all the victims of the war in Ukraine".
After reports the oligarch was looking to recoup the money he loaned the
club, the 55-year-old has reiterated his commitment to giving money from the
sale to charitable organisations.
In a statement released by Abramovich and Chelsea on Thursday evening, a
spokesperson for the Russian said: "Firstly, Mr Abramovich's intentions in
relation to gifting the proceeds from the Chelsea sale to charity have not
changed.
"Since the initial announcement, Mr Abramovich's team has identified senior
representatives from UN bodies and large global charitable organizations who
have been tasked with forming a Foundation and setting out a plan for its
activities. The lead independent expert has had conversations with
Government representatives presenting the structure and initial plans.
"Mr Abramovich has not been involved in this work and it has been managed
independently by experts with years of experience working in humanitarian
organizations.
"Secondly, Mr Abramovich has not asked for any loan to be repaid to him -
such suggestions are entirely false - as are suggestions that Mr Abramovich
increased the price of the Club last minute. As part of Mr Abramovich's
objective to find a good custodian for Chelsea FC, he has however encouraged
each bidder throughout this process to commit investing in the Club -
including in the Academy, Women's team, necessary redevelopment of the
stadium as well as maintaining the work of Chelsea Foundation."
The consortium led by US businessman Todd Boehly is the preferred bidder to
buy Chelsea, but the UK government will not allow the sale to go through
unless it is completely certain Abramovich will not receive any of the
proceeds.
The sale is being conducted by the Raine Group, an investment bank appointed
by Abramovich, and he will have the final say on who buys the club.
Chelsea's government licence to operate runs out on May 31 and they are
facing the prospect of going out of business unless the club is sold or the
licence is extended.
The Premier League is meeting on June 8 to constitute the new season, by
which time Chelsea would need to have a licence to be part of the next
campaign.
The spokesperson added in the statement: "Following sanctions and other
restrictions imposed on Mr Abramovich by the UK since announcing that the
Club would be sold, the loan has also become subject to EU sanctions,
requiring additional approvals. That means that the funds will be frozen and
subject to a legal procedure governed by authorities. These funds are still
earmarked for the Foundation. The Government are aware of these restrictions
as well as the legal implications.
"To be clear, Mr Abramovich has no access or control of these funds and will
not have any access or control of these funds following the sale. Despite
the changing circumstances since his initial announcement - he remains
committed to finding a good custodian for Chelsea FC and making sure the
proceeds go to good causes."
Analysis: Chelsea fans can be relieved
Sky Sports News' chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:
"Roman Abramovich doesn't speak on the record very often and when he does -
it's normally significant. This is a significant statement from his
spokesperson.
"During the sale process over the last couple of weeks, there have been
suggestions that he does indeed want that money back because of tax
complications and the fact he's sanctioned.
"It's a really complicated situation but he has tried to set the record
straight this evening. And he's basically said in this statement: nothing
has changed. He doesn't want his money back, he's sticking to his original
position that the money is gone after the club has been sold.
"He's spoken about what is going to happen to the money. He said previously
it's going to go to the victims of the war in Ukraine. In this statement, he
said his team have been working hard to set up a foundation and people from
the UN are involved and they've held talks with the UK Government as well
with what has been going on.
"The message he's just trying to get out is: don't believe everything you're
hearing or reading. I don't think we can discount what we and other people
have been reporting. The information we have comes from people who are very
close to the sale process. Our information is still true. I'm not accusing
Mr Abramovich of not telling the truth. This is how he sees it but it's a
complicated process, different people are saying different things.
"I think it will settle some nerves as far as Chelsea fans are concerned.
He's also addressing another key point. A lot of reports suggested that the
goalposts have changed - that Abramovich had asked for an extra £500m to be
put on the table. Mr Abramovich's spokesperson says he is not asking for
extra money, but he does go on to say that he wants to make sure that the
people buying the club commit funds to develop the club going forwards - to
invest in the men's team, the women's team, the stadium as well.
"Again, I don't think what we and the other people were reporting was wrong.
It's just different interpretations. Mr Abramovich is saying the reason
behind that [extra money being asked for] is because he wanted to make sure
that the future for Chelsea was secure and the people buying the club had
enough money to take care of the club."
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