The Age Roman Abramovich, Anyway, it was closed this Wednesday at Chelsea. The 19-year period in which the Russian elite ruled the London team ended with the approval of the purchase of the club by the British government. You blues was acquired by a consortium led by American Todd Boehleyone of the owners of Los Angeles DodgersOne of the main baseball teams in the United States, worth R$ 26.6 billion.
The British government approved after making sure that the Russians would not profit from the sale. Abramovich decided to leave the team at the end of February in the face of strong negative repercussions from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Russian faced sanctions from the local government, which was directly hurting Chelsea’s management.
“Given the sanctions we have imposed against those associated with (Vladimir) Putin and the bloody invasion of Ukraine, the long-term future of the club can only be assured under a new owner. Abramovich or other individuals whom (government) sanctions have been faced,” said Nadine Dorries, the British government’s secretary of culture.
Due to restrictions, Chelsea are operated under a special license granted by the government. With these restrictions, the club cannot rent, sell or renew players’ contracts. This license is valid only till Tuesday, the 31st of the following week. Approval of the purchase would allow the club to obtain a permanent license again.
The negotiations resulted in a total deal worth £4.25 billion, the equivalent of R$26.6 billion. The proposal was supported financially by Clearlake Capital. Baseball franchise president Mark Walter and Swiss businessman Hansjörg Wies are also involved in the business.
“Of the total investment, £2.5bn will be applied to purchase the club’s shares. These proceeds will be deposited into a frozen UK bank account with the intention of donating 100% to charitable causes, as confirmed by Roman Abramovich British government approval will be required to transfer funds from a frozen UK bank account,” Chelsea explained at the time of the sale, which was confirmed earlier this month.
The deal was awaiting approval from the Premier League, the league that organizes the Premier League and the British government. The league’s support was given on Tuesday. The completion of the purchase process will allow the new club owners to start investing in the current World and European Champions League champion teams. Initial launch, according to British newspaper Wire200 million euros, which is equivalent to R$ 1 billion.
