Abramovich breaks silence on Chelsea sale with return hint in rare statement
Former Chelsea boss Roman Abramovich wishes for a return to the club but has vowed never to own a football club again. The Russian oligarch was in situ for the most successful period in the Blues' history.
Having completed a takeover of the West London side in 2003, he oversaw five Premier League successes, five FA Cup wins and three League Cups wins. He also helped Chelsea end their long wait for a European crown in 2012, before adding a second Champions League title in 2021.
But Abramovich was forced to pull out of the club a year later having been sanctioned by the UK government following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Todd Boehly and Clearlake's consortium then sealed a £4.25bn takeover.
And speaking out on his exit, Abramovich has claimed he wants to return to Chelsea to bid farewell to the club having drawn a line under football ownership entirely. Speaking in a new book titled Sanctioned: The Inside Story of the Sale of Chelsea FC, he said: 'Perhaps one day there would be a situation where I could attend a match and say a proper goodbye, but nothing more than that," the Daily Mail report.
'I don't have any interest in any role in a football club, certainly not a professional role. There might be something where I could help with academies and youngsters, giving greater opportunities to people from difficult backgrounds, if there were an initiative that could make a difference. But as for ownership or a professional role at a club, I am done with that in this lifetime.'
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Following his sale of Chelsea, Abramovich was ordered to send £2.5bn of the proceeds to aid Ukraine. But as it stands, that amount remains in a UK bank account, with the government now threatening to sue the 58-year-old.
A joint statement from Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Foreign Secretary David Lammy read: "The government is determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine, following Russia's illegal full-scale invasion.
"We are deeply frustrated that it has not been possible to reach agreement on this with Mr Abramovich so far. While the door for negotiations will remain open, we are fully prepared to pursue this through the courts if required, to ensure people suffering in Ukraine can benefit from these proceeds as soon as possible."
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Abramovich commented on those accusations, giving them short shrift. 'There is an old Russian saying, 'The dogs bark but the caravan keeps moving,' and that fits here,' he also told the book's author, Nick Purewal.
'Whatever I do, people will always accuse me of some kind of agenda. In the end, I have done what I have done simply to try to help.'
Ex-Chelsea star John Obi Mikel recently revealed that Abramovich still harbours frustration over the circumstances of Chelsea's sale. Mikel said: 'It's just unfortunate what happened: he lost the football club. I still speak to people close to him and it still pains him. He's still angry about what happened.
'He's not happy that he lost his 'baby' because Chelsea Football Club was his football club. He really cared about the football club, not just the players but the fans.'
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