End of An Era as Abramovic Issues Goodbye Message to Chelsea After Sale of The Club

End of An Era as Abramovic Issues Goodbye Message to Chelsea After Sale of The Club

Rene Otinga
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:03 PM
In this article:
English Premier League logo
ENG Premier League
England
  • Abramovic officially bid goodbye to Chelsea in a lengthy statement on Friday, May 27
  • The sale of the club is set to be finalized, with the consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital formally taking control of the club
  • Proceeds of up to £2.5b will arise from the sale of the club and will be kept in a frozen account before eventually being channelled to charity

Roman Abramovic has shared an emotional message to Chelsea as he bids goodbye to a club he has owned for more than a decade.

The Abramovic era at Chelsea officially came to an end on Friday, May 27, as the consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital officially took control of the club.

The buyout was sparked by Russia’s invasion on Ukraine in March 2022 which had a ripple effect on a number of things, including Abramovic’s assets in England.

In a statement shared on the Chelsea website, the Russian billionaire said:

"It has been nearly three months since I announced my intention to sell Chelsea FC. During this time, the team have worked hard to find the right custodian for Chelsea FC that would be best positioned to successfully lead the Club into its next chapter.
"The ownership of this Club comes with great responsibility. Since I came to Chelsea nearly twenty years ago, I have witnessed first-hand what this Club can achieve. My goal has been to ensure that the next owner has a mindset that will enable success for the Men’s and Women’s team, as well as the will and drive to continue developing other key aspects of the Club, such as the Academy and the vital work of Chelsea Foundation.

Proceeds from the Chelsea sale are believed to be in the region of around £2.5 billion.

All the proceeds, as reported by The Mirror, will be frozen in a UK bank account before the UK government can allow them to be channelled to a new charitable foundation with the aim of helping victims affected by the war in Ukraine.

Abramovic’s trophy-laden Chelsea era in summary

The billionaire initially bought the club back in 2003 from Kevin Bates.

What ensued was a period of great success for the Stamford Bridge landlords, who have won the Premier League five times in the Abramovic era.

The Blues have also won the Champions League and Europa League twice and thrice respectively.

Authors
Rene Otinga photo
Rene Otinga
Rene Otinga is a sports journalist with over eight years of working experience in digital media. Rene's experience includes working as a Copywriter at X News Kenya and TUKO.co.ke.
Tags
Thomas TuchelWorld