The acquisition of Chelsea by the consortium led by the American Todd Boehly took place on Monday, ending 19 years of leadership of the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in the English soccer club.
“The consortium led by Todd Boehly, Chairman and CEO of Eldridge, and Clearlake Capital Group, today announces [segunda-feira] the completion of the transfer of ownership of Chelsea Football Club”, can be read in a note published on the website of the “blues”, this Monday.
The consortium now leading Londoners also includes Hansjörg Wyss and Mark Walter. Walter and Boehly already own three Los Angeles teams: the Dodgers (baseball) and the Lakers and Sparks (basketball).
With all necessary licenses approved, either from the British Government or the English League, the deal leaves Boehly in charge of the club, sharing control with Clearlake.
[Os novos donos] They are committed to investing in key areas to extend and enhance Chelsea’s competitiveness, including the redevelopment of Stamford Bridge and further investment in the academy, women’s team and Kingsmeadow Stadium, in addition to the work of the foundation.
According to Boehly, quoted in a statement, the goal now “is to make fans proud”, through a “long-term” investment, to “continue to build on the phenomenal success story of the emblem”.
On the Clearlake side, a quote attributed to co-founders Behdad Eghbali and José Feliciano notes a willingness to invest in infrastructure, technology and sports science, to support Chelsea’s sporting and business goals.
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)It had been communicated on May 7, 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, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance, authorized the request received from Roman Abramovich. “for a humanitarian derogation, which allows the English club to process”.
The position of the Portuguese Government agrees with the European Commissionthe Foreign Ministry said.
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.
Until now, Chelsea has operated with a special permit that expires on Tuesday and allows it to carry out certain operations, such as receiving money for television rights and selling tickets for certain matches.
Source: Observadora
