Roman Abramovich said goodbye to Chelsea this Saturday, describing his time at the helm of the English soccer club as “the honor of his life”, whose purchase by the consortium led by the American Todd Boehly should take place on Monday.
“Almost three months have passed since I announced my intention to sell Chelsea. During that time, a team worked hard to find the right owner for Chelsea who could successfully lead the club into its next chapter.” Internet.
Roman Abramovich, a Russian citizen with a Portuguese passport, goes on to stress that “ownership of this club carries with it a great responsibility”.
“Since I arrived at Chelsea almost 20 years ago, I have witnessed first-hand what this club can achieve. My aim was to ensure that the next owner has a vision that enables the success of the men’s and women’s teams, as well as the continued development of other key aspects of the club, such as the Academy or the fundamental work of the Chelsea Foundation. “, he noticed.
Hours after Chelsea announced that “a final and definitive agreement was concluded last night to sell the club to the Todd Boehly/Clearlake consortium” and that “the transaction is expected to be completed on Monday”, Abramovich hailed “the search” for a new owner has now “come to a successful conclusion”.
“It has been the honor of my life to be part of this club. I would like to thank all the old and current players, the ‘staff’ and of course the fans for these incredible years”, he concluded.
The sale of Chelsea, still in the hands of Abramovich and subject to sanctions linked to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, to a consortium led by the American billionaire Todd Boehly for 4,250 million pounds (4,900 million euros), had been announced on 7 May and was approved by the English Football League on Tuesday.
That same night, Portugal received a letter from Russian Roman Abramovich, who has a Portuguese passport, requesting authorization to sell the club, which received the ‘green light’ on Thursday.
In a statement, the office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the two competent national authorities – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Finance – authorized the request received from Roman Abramovich “for a humanitarian exception, which allows the English club to process.” .
“The Portuguese authorization derives from the guarantee given by the British authorities that the proceeds of the sale will be used for humanitarian purposes, without directly or indirectly benefiting the owner of the club, which is on the European Union sanctions list,” add note. .
The position of the Portuguese Government is in agreement with the European Commission, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The British club, third in the last edition of the Premier League, played the entire last phase of the season with some limitations precisely because of the sanctions imposed on Abramovich.
At the moment, Chelsea operates with a special authorization that expires on May 31, which allows it to carry out certain operations, such as receiving money for television rights and selling tickets for certain matches.
Source: Observadora
