Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich has confirmed that he has made up his mind to sell Chelsea Football Club explaining how he arrived at the ‘very difficult’ decision.
Africa Today News, New York gathered that earlier this week, Labour MP Chris Bryant used Parliamentary Privilege to also reveal Abramovich is selling his UK home and another flat, a move which sparked speculations he was now ready to sell the club.
Speaking to the House of Commons on Tuesday, Bryant revealed that the 55-year-old is ‘terrified of being sanctioned’.
Abramovich now wants to sell the Stamford Bridge side, with Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss claiming he has been offered the chance to buy the club.
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Abramovich is owed £1.5bn by Chelsea after buying the club in a £140m deal in 2003.
However the Russian billionaire insists he will not ask for any of the loans to be repaid.
He also noted the sale of Chelsea ‘will not be fast-tracked but will follow due process’.
‘This has never been about business nor money for me, but about pure passion for the game and club,‘ Abramovich said in a statement today.
Africa Today News, New York recalls that Abramovich had last Saturday handed over the affairs of the club to trustees of Chelsea’s charitable Foundation following last week’s Russian invasion of Ukraine which has drawn heavy European sanctions.
Recall that the UK had last Thursday began issuing heavy sanctions against Russian entities after the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces on Thursday, February 24th.
Mr Abramovich is a Russian oligarch, one of the groups targeted by western sanctions over his belived close ties with Russian President, Putin.
There had been uncertainty over Mr Abramovich’s continued control of one of the UK’s most successful clubs amid the crisis.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK