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Chelsea Fucked?

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Mystic

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[article]
Roman Abramovich linked to Russian state and ‘corrupt activity’, MP says
Chris Bryant says UK should seize Chelsea owner’s assets as he tells MPs allegations are from leaked 2019 Home Office document

Roman Abramovich, who made his fortune acquiring newly-privatised Russian oil assets following the end of the Soviet Union, bought Chelsea in 2003. Photograph: Artyom Geodakyan/Tass

Peter Walker Political correspondent
@peterwalker99
Thu 24 Feb 2022 14.54 GMT


The Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, was identified by the Home Office in 2019 as having links to the Russian state as well as to “corrupt activity and practices”, a Labour MP has told parliament, suggesting the UK should seize his assets and bar him from owning the football club.
Chris Bryant told MPs he was quoting from a Home Office document leaked to him, and asked why nothing more had been done about Abramovich’s UK assets given this official verdict.

Raising the issue of tier 1 visas, the sort held by Abramovich, which allow very rich people to invest in the UK, Bryant directly quoted a section of what he said was the Home Office document.
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“I’ve got hold of a leaked document from 2019, from the Home Office, which says in relation to Mr Abramovich: ‘As part of HMG’s [Her Majesty’s government] Russia strategy aimed at targeting illicit finance and malign activity, Abramovich remains of interest to HMG due to his links to the Russian state and his public association with corrupt activity and practices,’” Bryant told the Commons.
He went on, still quoting the document: “‘An example of this is Abramovich admitting in court proceedings that he paid for political influence. Therefore HMG is focused on ensuring individuals linked to illicit finance and malign activity are unable to base themselves in the UK, and will use the relevant tools at its disposal, including immigration powers, to prevent this.’”
Bryant added: “That’s nearly three years ago. And yet remarkably little has been done. Surely Mr Abramovich should no longer be able to own a football club in this country? Surely we should be looking at seizing some of his assets, including his £150m home, and making sure that other people who have had tier 1 visas like this are not engaged in malign activity in the UK?”
Abramovich, who made his fortune acquiring newly privatised Russian oil assets following the end of the Soviet Union, bought Chelsea in 2003 and has put enormous sums into the club.
In 2018 he withdrew his application for a new UK investor visa, amid worsening links between the UK and Russia. Abramovich has an Israeli passport and has since travelled to the UK using that.
A week ago the government said it was ending the tier 1 visa system over concerns it allowed people to invest “dirty money” in the UK.
On Tuesday, speaking to the Commons as he announced a first wave of measures against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Boris Johnson said Abramovich was “already facing sanctions” because of links to the Russian state. However, Downing Street later said the prime minister had made an error, and formally corrected the record.
Abramovich has vehemently disputed reports suggesting his alleged closeness to Vladimir Putin and Russia or that he has done anything to merit sanctions being imposed against him.
Bryant cannot be sued for quoting the report and its claims about Abramovich, as statements in the Commons are protected by parliamentary privilege.
Abramovich’s representatives were contacted for comment.


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[/article]
 
Various interviewees have been mentioning Abramovich as a suitable target for sanctions in radio interviews today.
 
Boris declined to sanction him today apparently.

I don't know if his Israeli citizenship is saving him or not.

Rumours are only 5 more Oligarchs were sanctioned.
 
Why would Chelsea be fucked? They owe Roman £1.514 billion, so presumably this will never have to be returned now.
 
Why would Chelsea be fucked? They owe Roman £1.514 billion, so presumably this will never have to be returned now.

It means Chelsea are now going to be owned and run by the Tory Party.

Let’s get Chexit done!!!!
 
It means Chelsea are now going to be owned and run by the Tory Party.

Let’s get Chexit done!!!!
Not such a bad thing. The Tories will place Boris in the manager's seat, the Chav fans will adore the "lovable rogue" and he will then fuck everything up repeatedly, insult the fans, lie to the public, sacrifice one of his backroom staff every time he fucks up, become the laughing stock of the football world. And the Chav fans will just continue to blindly love & vote for him, declare themselves as "proudly Chelsea" ... as their team becomes less & less relevant and ultimately fades into total obscurity.
 
Not such a bad thing. The Tories will place Boris in the manager's seat, the Chav fans will adore the "lovable rogue" and he will then fuck everything up repeatedly, insult the fans, lie to the public, sacrifice one of his backroom staff every time he fucks up, become the laughing stock of the football world. And the Chav fans will just continue to blindly love & vote for him, declare themselves as "proudly Chelsea" ... as their team becomes less & less relevant and ultimately fades into total obscurity.

Exactly… Let’s get Chexit done so as we can experience the full power of this fully armed and operational Tory party!!!
 
I've been trying to get to the bottom of the significance of this
Blue shite on GOT are worried it could torpedo their stadium funding. If UK follows US lead, this could be very problematic for them, but dodgy money usually finds a way. If nothing else, it’s fucking funny.
 
Blue shite on GOT are worried it could torpedo their stadium funding. If UK follows US lead, this could be very problematic for them, but dodgy money usually finds a way. If nothing else, it’s fucking funny.

This is what I mean if you look up the Shareholders it's 94% owned by Blue Holdings limited, and the person with control of Blue Holdings is some random 25 year old.

Presumably a nominee, but there's no direct link on paper to USM
 
This is what I mean if you look up the Shareholders it's 94% owned by Blue Holdings limited, and the person with control of Blue Holdings is some random 25 year old.

Presumably a nominee, but there's no direct link on paper to USM
USM is a major sponsor and put in place the totally uncommercial contract where they paid a fortune for first dibs on naming rights for the new stadium. Just to plug a hole for FFP.
Spurs have a fully-constructed stadium in London and can't sell naming rights to it (possibly because Levy wants too much, but naming rights are not very attractive anymore), but Everton can get £30m just for the option of being a naming rights partner over a stadium that doesn't yet exist? Yeah, that makes sense. Nothing dodgy there, and nothing to suggest a strong connection to USM (= Usmanov) which hasn't been fully disclosed because Moshiri has likely been put in the middle as an intermediary (bearing in mind Usmanov was still invested in Arsenal when Moshiri started buying into the Blue shite, using money that was rumoured to have come from Usmanov). Everton are up to their necks in USM's money, even if the paper trail is opaque.
And Everton is 94% owned by Blue HEAVEN Holdings Limited, an Isle of Man company. Ultimately believed to be controlled by Moshiri (likely as a proxy for Usmanov).
 
Everton are now denying the US-sanctioned company has anything to do with them or their owners.
The other stuff above still stands - they are up there with City and PSG for dodgy financing, for all the good it's done them.
 
USM is a major sponsor and put in place the totally uncommercial contract where they paid a fortune for first dibs on naming rights for the new stadium. Just to plug a hole for FFP.
Spurs have a fully-constructed stadium in London and can't sell naming rights to it (possibly because Levy wants too much, but naming rights are not very attractive anymore), but Everton can get £30m just for the option of being a naming rights partner over a stadium that doesn't yet exist? Yeah, that makes sense. Nothing dodgy there, and nothing to suggest a strong connection to USM (= Usmanov) which hasn't been fully disclosed because Moshiri has likely been put in the middle as an intermediary (bearing in mind Usmanov was still invested in Arsenal when Moshiri started buying into the Blue shite, using money that was rumoured to have come from Usmanov). Everton are up to their necks in USM's money, even if the paper trail is opaque.
And Everton is 94% owned by Blue HEAVEN Holdings Limited, an Isle of Man company. Ultimately believed to be controlled by Moshiri (likely as a proxy for Usmanov).

I was thinking what I found was odd alright
 
Everton are now denying the US-sanctioned company has anything to do with them or their owners.
The other stuff above still stands - they are up there with City and PSG for dodgy financing, for all the good it's done them.

Not exactly related to the topic of discussion, but is there any value in constructing a new stadium nowadays. Given the TV deals and the scope of raising revenues through advertising and other means, does it make sense to take on a 400 million debt in these times? I know in the NFL, Raiders, and Rams have a brilliant new stadium which I plan to visit, but that is a different model - huge subsidies from the cities, both in locations where they can raise boatloads of money through concerts and other events, etc.

I always felt FSG have been smart in gradually increasing our stadium capacity without letting it be a drag on our finances. And in the process, making sure we don't lose the Anfield legend factor.
 
Not exactly related to the topic of discussion, but is there any value in constructing a new stadium nowadays. Given the TV deals and the scope of raising revenues through advertising and other means, does it make sense to take on a 400 million debt in these times? I know in the NFL, Raiders, and Rams have a brilliant new stadium which I plan to visit, but that is a different model - huge subsidies from the cities, both in locations where they can raise boatloads of money through concerts and other events, etc.

I always felt FSG have been smart in gradually increasing our stadium capacity without letting it be a drag on our finances. And in the process, making sure we don't lose the Anfield legend factor.

You are correct there, it was also made in the times when tv revenues seemed to be growing much more than match day income.

I don’t know how match day v TV income compares to other European Giants like Bayern, Barca and Madrid but it seemed like a wise choice plus the factor it’s Anfield. It would have required something massive with hotels etc for us to move and even make it worth while.

Something non related, I was looking out of interest for a mate for cup final tickets on the livefooty.com and ours are more expensive at almost 3:1 so I would imagine the club would focus on the match day hospitality tickets to really maxmise the income per seat. The demand seems to be there.
 
Not exactly related to the topic of discussion, but is there any value in constructing a new stadium nowadays. Given the TV deals and the scope of raising revenues through advertising and other means, does it make sense to take on a 400 million debt in these times? I know in the NFL, Raiders, and Rams have a brilliant new stadium which I plan to visit, but that is a different model - huge subsidies from the cities, both in locations where they can raise boatloads of money through concerts and other events, etc.

I always felt FSG have been smart in gradually increasing our stadium capacity without letting it be a drag on our finances. And in the process, making sure we don't lose the Anfield legend factor.
I think there’s a few ways of looking at it. Everton’s stadium issues are not really (overall) capacity related but re hospitality. They have no real space at Goodison. If you look at the business proposition for our Main Stand, we more than doubled our hospitality proposition and add higher-priced offerings - the quality of offering in the Main Stand is way above the Kenny. So a new ground for Everton makes sense in that respect, but I’m not sure they have as much demand for it as they might think. Contrast with Tottenham, for example, where that aspect of the proposition works. Plus the new build will have better comfort standards and won’t be largely made of wood.
The second aspect is maintenance. A lot of stadia in England are old and will need a lot of work doing to keep them shipshape, so although you’ve got a big outlay on build costs, you’ll also save on future maintenance (and I’m talking fairly costly structural stuff, not just cosmetics)..
Finally, if you can borrow at a decent rate, the overall proposition makes sense. You only really need to deliver a return which services your debt. I’ve done some back of the envelop figures on what I think the Annie Road will offer us and it’s not great, but it’s probably more than enough to service the debt. And it’s a much less risky proposition than spending £50-60m on a player who might not have improved our level all that much. I also think, being cynical, that it makes the club more attractive to a buyer as the capacity problem comes already solved, so it’s one less headache. For a buyer focused on sports washing (so interested in the sporting “project” to distract attention from their human rights record or whatever) it’s one fewer headache.
Finally, as a fan, I’d rather stand a better chance of getting a ticket to watch my team as it is than have the club spend a wad of cash on another player we might manage without (and who might turn out to be the next Timo Werner).
Although obviously I’d prefer we expand AND buy more boss players AND pay Mo etc.
 
USM is a major sponsor and put in place the totally uncommercial contract where they paid a fortune for first dibs on naming rights for the new stadium. Just to plug a hole for FFP.
Spurs have a fully-constructed stadium in London and can't sell naming rights to it (possibly because Levy wants too much, but naming rights are not very attractive anymore), but Everton can get £30m just for the option of being a naming rights partner over a stadium that doesn't yet exist? Yeah, that makes sense. Nothing dodgy there, and nothing to suggest a strong connection to USM (= Usmanov) which hasn't been fully disclosed because Moshiri has likely been put in the middle as an intermediary (bearing in mind Usmanov was still invested in Arsenal when Moshiri started buying into the Blue shite, using money that was rumoured to have come from Usmanov). Everton are up to their necks in USM's money, even if the paper trail is opaque.
And Everton is 94% owned by Blue HEAVEN Holdings Limited, an Isle of Man company. Ultimately believed to be controlled by Moshiri (likely as a proxy for Usmanov).

Can anyone explain how Usmanov can own 2 Premier Leagues clubs? That goes completely against the spirit of competition. Are they really turning a blind eye to this?
 
Can anyone explain how Usmanov can own 2 Premier Leagues clubs? That goes completely against the spirit of competition. Are they really turning a blind eye to this?
He can’t. That’s why there’s the suspicion Moshiri was a front bit presumably they managed to
convince the FA it was as legit as Man City’s deal with Etihad.
 
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