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The Russian billionaire has avoided Britain for months and is preparing his finances to skirt the threat of American sanctions, writes [b]Stephanie Baker[/b].
The Russian billionaire has avoided Britain for months and is preparing his finances to skirt the threat of American sanctions, writes [b]Stephanie Baker[/b].
IN LATE August, as supporters of Chelsea Football Club assembled at Stamford Bridge to watch their team beat London rivals Arsenal, a group in the upper deck unfurled a 40ft blue-and-red banner. "The Roman Empire," it shouted, beside an image of the team's owner, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
Just below, another banner trumpeted "15 Years, 15 Trophies."
Abramovich didn't attend the game that day. He hasn't been seen in London since the UK government failed to renew his visa in the spring, not long after it accused Russia of using a deadly nerve agent on British soil and relations between London and Moscow plunged into crisis.
It'll be interesting to see if he turns up at the Bridge today when the Blues take on Manchester United in what is a key game for both sides — and a fixture Abramovich has not missed since he bought the club.
To add to the intrigue, United are managed by Jose Mourinho, who had two spells as manager at Chelsea under the Russian.
Abramovich bought Chelsea out of near-bankruptcy in 2003 for £140m and has since loaned the club more than £1.1bn. Until he came along, Chelsea hadn't won the top domestic trophy, the Premier League title, since 1955. His big spending changed all that and set off a kind of arms race in English football. In some ways, it was similar to the US model: Buy talent, buy titles, and sell merchandise and media rights.
But unlike owners of American sports teams, Abramovich didn't seem bothered by racking up huge losses. (And he didn't have to contend with caps on spending, until new rules came into force in 2010.) At the Arsenal game, Chelsea supporters taunted their rivals with the chant "We've won it all!" to which Arsenal fans sang in response, "You've bought it all!"
Chelsea fans still love their high-rolling owner, even as the UK government hits back at the Kremlin. Now Abramovich is mulling a sale of Chelsea,...