Chelsea fans in Australia speak out amid Roman Abramovich furore
The sale of English Premier League club Chelsea is progressing quickly, with multiple bids received by the London club’s deadline of last weekend.
The change of ownership in one of England’s most successful football teams is understandably causing a major stir in the football world, especially given the circumstances.
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With pressure mounting on him due to the conflict in Ukraine and his alleged links to the Putin regime, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale in early March.
Yet just eight days later, the UK Government imposed sanctions on Abramovich along with a number of other Russian oligarchs, meaning the proceeds of the sale would no longer be able to be received by Chelsea’s current owner.
The impact of those sanctions have been significant for the club as well as its owner, with Chelsea having to be granted a special licence from the UK Government to continue trading.
As a result, the club will be allowed to play but has been banned from buying (or selling) players, or even selling merchandise at their club shop.
The UK Government has since amended Chelsea's licence to allow them to sell tickets to their games, but the proceeds will go directly to the Premier League and not the club.
Given their estimated £28m (A$50m) a month wage bill, this inability to generate revenue means the sale of the club is now paramount to its financial survival.
It’s been a turbulent few weeks for Chelsea fans, who just over a month ago were celebrating their club being crowned World Club Champions, defeating Brazilian champions Palmeiras in the final in Abu Dhabi.
Aussie fans in Chelsea speak out about looming sale
To get a local perspective on the developments, Yahoo Sport Australia contacted a spokesperson for the Australian branch of the Chelsea Supporters club, RJ Bonaccorsi.
With the reasons for the sale quite a politically sensitive subject, Mr Bonaccorsi was keen to emphasise the sale process itself, and what the sporting consequences may be for his beloved club.
“Hopefully the outcome will be a fairly smooth and efficient transition that results in the club being able to focus on its on-field performances," he commented.
Just who is likely to take the reins of the West London giants is still unclear, with multiple bids having been received. A number of these feature wealthy fans of the West London club.
One such example is a consortium led by lifelong Chelsea fan Sir Martin Broughton. A wealthy British businessman, Broughton is currently deputy chairman of International Airlines Group (which own British Airways amongst other airlines).
His consortium also includes Lord Sebastian Coe, the former Olympic athlete who twice won 1500m gold for Britain and is also a Chelsea season ticket holder.
However, Coe and Broughton are not the only Chelsea fans throwing their hat in the ring.
British property investor Nick Candy heads the Blue Football consortium, who have also registered a bid.
Reports in London suggest Candy, also an avid Chelsea supporter and, improved on his original £2bn bid after a large Korean financial institution joined his consortium over the weekend.
There is also significant interest from parties outside the UK, with speculation that the United States based Ricketts Family, owners of the Chicago Cubs baseball team, are also in the running.
A number of other bids are rumoured to have been lodged with the Raine Group, the merchant bankers handling the sale process, including one from Saudi Media Group.
Stability the hope for Chelsea
The key for many Chelsea fans watching on around the world will be that the sale is concluded quickly and without further controversy, which will hopefully bring stability to the club after a tumultuous month.
It’s a view shared by Mr Bonaccorsi, who indicated that “there has been some talk it [the sale] could be finalised within a few weeks but it's a rapidly evolving situation.”
He goes on to add that, for most of the Chelsea faithful, maintaining their prominent position on the pitch is the priority, irrespective of who the new owners turn out to be.
“As Chelsea has a strong men’s and women’s squad, as well as a first-class academy, we would like to think that any prospective owner(s) would do their best to maintain and build on this,” Mr Bonaccorsi said.
Whoever is ultimately successful in securing ownership of the Stamford Bridge-based club will have a tough act to follow.
Since Abramovich took charge in 2003, the men's team alone has won an astonishing 21 trophies, including five Premier League titles, two UEFA Champions League trophies, and most recently the FIFA Club World Cup in that final last month.
With an expectant supporter base and a team full of international superstars, the new owners will need deep pockets and a winners’ mentality to satisfy the expectations in West London.
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