I think you're all thinking this changes a lot more than it actually does.
Ticket sales means nothing in the Premier League in terms of revenue as Covid showed. Teams can get by with no fans without much trouble. Chelsea may choose instead to raffle tickets away for free rather than sell them.
Buying and selling players? That only matters if the sanctions against Chelsea last until the summer. I have a strong feeling they won't be. One way or another this will be resolved in time for the end of the season.
The ongoing losses again were given a significant period of time for Chelsea to sort out before the sanctions hit. Warning Roman sanctions were coming has probably led to him leaving a sizable sum in their bank to keep the club ticking over 'just in case'.
Agreed, there's no way it'll carry on for months and let Chelsea go into next season playing in front of empty stadiums (as no one will be able to get a ticket that's not already issued). But even if it wasn't resolved it's not like they desperately need to buy players, they've got the likes of Gallagher, Broja and Gilmour returning from loans so i'm sure they'd be ok.
Am I wrong in thinking if Chelsea are able to operate “normally” which is what they’re hoping for, then what was the point in sanctioning him? Seems like it’s a PR spin from the Govt if so. What other assets does he have in the UK apart from property?
very tough situation to be honest. This isn’t an asset like a mansion or a sports car. It’s a community asset supported by hundreds of thousands of UK citizens and employees hundreds of people.
Very hard to determine what is right and fair in this instance
My dads side of my family come from SW London and have supported Chelsea long before I was even born. They never worried where the money come from and to a man, like the majority of Chelsea supporters, would bask in the reflected glory of having a man at the top who was bank rolling them. I say fuck the lot of them.
In fairness i think 99% of fans at any club would've been the same.
There will be a few who don't approve i'm sure, but you can't tell me that most City or Newcastle fans give a shit where the money comes from.
If Abramovich had bought us and we'd embarked on two decades of success, would many of us have cared? Some would, but the vast majority would've been signing "we're fucking rich" at his first game in charge.
Of course that is true. That does not make it good. And I think it might have been a bit more than 1% who would have had qualms.
It might make at least the more educated end of the football fanbase think a bit harder about why it matters who owns their football clubs. In doing so, those who realise it, may hopefully also ponder the fact that this could not have happened in Germany - not even at Bayern.
I think you're all thinking this changes a lot more than it actually does.
Ticket sales means nothing in the Premier League in terms of revenue as Covid showed. Teams can get by with no fans without much trouble. Chelsea may choose instead to raffle tickets away for free rather than sell them.
Buying and selling players? That only matters if the sanctions against Chelsea last until the summer. I have a strong feeling they won't be. One way or another this will be resolved in time for the end of the season.
The ongoing losses again were given a significant period of time for Chelsea to sort out before the sanctions hit. Warning Roman sanctions were coming has probably led to him leaving a sizable sum in their bank to keep the club ticking over 'just in case'.
All true...but surely the flow of money from Sky, BT, Amazon will all have to stop. And FA payments for global rights? I would think they will be in trouble pretty quickly unless the government eases the 'no sale' rule and allows it to be sold - as long as RA doesn't get any of the proceeds.
Am I wrong in thinking if Chelsea are able to operate “normally” which is what they’re hoping for, then what was the point in sanctioning him? Seems like it’s a PR spin from the Govt if so. What other assets does he have in the UK apart from property?
A club who are in the most lucrative league in the world and who are current Champions of Europe - that's a pretty big asset that he is going to lose.
RA made billions from dodgy O&G + steel deals that his mate Putin allowed & profited from.
RA won’t die a pauper that’s for sure but I do feel for the non playing employees at CFC as they will be the 1st to be shown the door if the sanctions go on for many a month. I do know some decent Chelsea fans, been fans before RA rolled up so feel a tad sympathetic toward those, but not the post RA take-over fans.
Am I wrong in thinking if Chelsea are able to operate “normally” which is what they’re hoping for, then what was the point in sanctioning him? Seems like it’s a PR spin from the Govt if so. What other assets does he have in the UK apart from property?
A club who are in the most lucrative league in the world and who are current Champions of Europe - that's a pretty big asset that he is going to lose.
Yes, even though it was never a money earner for him. It was symbol, a massive symbol, for him and for Putin. Just as hosting WC 2018 was. You might call it "soft power' but the Russians don't know how to do "soft".
"This will include seeking permission for the licence to be amended in order to allow the Club to operate as normal as possible. We will also be seeking guidance from the UK Government on the impact of these measures on the Chelsea Foundation and its important work in our communities."
Basically: we are going to ask the government to get rid of the license altogether. But pretend it's still there.
They've got no income at all now... They're wage bill is £28m A MONTH... They've already exceeded the cumulative losses rule over 3 seasons linked to FFP... naughty naughty... The holding company owes RA £1.5bn (presumably now that RA has been sanctioned, he just cant write off that £1.5bn owed, can he?)... RA cant sell the club.. Can't renew contracts... Cant make any new signings... Their own horrible fans cant even buy a ticket to go see them play...
If there is to be an upside in this maybe it will be to prick the financial bubble that is the PL & for more sensible player wages to become the norm.
I see the financial crisis emerging as an opportunity for Sky & others to negotiate down as they will lose customers themselves as the country tightens its belt. An opportunity to reset may emerge.
It will only be some players that 'suffer' (though not literally) as its been said elsewhere club staff rarely enjoy big salaries.
They've got no income at all now... They're wage bill is £28m A MONTH... They've already exceeded the cumulative losses rule over 3 seasons linked to FFP... naughty naughty... The holding company owes RA £1.5bn (presumably now that RA has been sanctioned, he just cant write off that £1.5bn owed, can he?)... RA cant sell the club.. Can't renew contracts... Cant make any new signings... Their own horrible fans cant even buy a ticket to go see them play...
They've got no income at all now... They're wage bill is £28m A MONTH... They've already exceeded the cumulative losses rule over 3 seasons linked to FFP... naughty naughty... The holding company owes RA £1.5bn (presumably now that RA has been sanctioned, he just cant write off that £1.5bn owed, can he?)... RA cant sell the club.. Can't renew contracts... Cant make any new signings... Their own horrible fans cant even buy a ticket to go see them play...
Have I missed anything?
but the fans are still smiling ((:>) .. already rumours of Tuchel jumping ship (or yacht) .. be interesting to see how the players perform at Noridge tonight .. I suspect they will put on a show and exhibit some pride
While agreeing completely with sanctions on the likes of Abramovich and other Russian billionaires the actions of Saudi Arabia (with the support of UK and American weapons) has wrecked havoc on the Yemen, killing over 20,000 civilians through bombing and the likelihood of starvation hanging over 12 million children. So where is this line drawn in terms of owners whose profits are from or support immense suffering ?
@Shrew allegedly it depends on whether you are backed by the East or West and how many government contracts/UK jobs are involved. That might be wrong though...just heard that from a bloke down the pub, so who knows?
Currently, Abramovich's yacht, Eclispe is at N31 31 37.35 W018 27 54.97, just south of Madeira on a heading towards Gibraltar. I suspect it might be trying to get somewhere safe, like the Black Sea. Wonder if it could be intercepted anywhere?
A strange co-incidence that it left port at Philipsberg, Sint Maarten late on 21 February, just a couple of days before Russia attacked. Draw your own conclusions.
They must have money in the bank for a bit of cash flow. I'm sure a business that was valued at £3,000,000,000 only last week would be able to find a trifling £28,000,000 down the back of a directors box sofa.
£16 million 'cash at bank' apparently - and RA cannot feed in any more.
I believe the £16 million was shown in the end of year accounts, it’s seems very low for a company turning over around £420 million p/a. They will have of course generated income since then, but I get the feeling they could be in a world of pain very soon withe RAs cash coming in, having said that I do expect a sale relatively quickly.
They've got no income at all now... They're wage bill is £28m A MONTH... They've already exceeded the cumulative losses rule over 3 seasons linked to FFP... naughty naughty... The holding company owes RA £1.5bn (presumably now that RA has been sanctioned, he just cant write off that £1.5bn owed, can he?)... RA cant sell the club.. Can't renew contracts... Cant make any new signings... Their own horrible fans cant even buy a ticket to go see them play...
Im wondering about Bruce Buck's future as chairman. Very close to Abramovic from before the purchase.
You'd expect any new owner would want their own person in charge anyway plus the guy is nearly 80 so probably time to step down.
A bigger loss for Chelsea i think would be if Marina Granovskaia leaves. Recently voted the 'best club director in football' but she is of course Russian and very close to Abramovich, having worked for him for years even before he owned Chelsea.
Comments
CHELSEA GET SANCTIONED
EVERYWHERE THEY GO...
CHELSEA GET SANCTIONED
EVERYWHERE THEY GO...
EVERYWHERE THEY GO...
It might make at least the more educated end of the football fanbase think a bit harder about why it matters who owns their football clubs. In doing so, those who realise it, may hopefully also ponder the fact that this could not have happened in Germany - not even at Bayern.
RA made billions from dodgy O&G + steel deals that his mate Putin allowed & profited from.
Basically: we are going to ask the government to get rid of the license altogether. But pretend it's still there.
They've got no income at all now...
They're wage bill is £28m A MONTH...
They've already exceeded the cumulative losses rule over 3 seasons linked to FFP... naughty naughty...
The holding company owes RA £1.5bn (presumably now that RA has been sanctioned, he just cant write off that £1.5bn owed, can he?)...
RA cant sell the club..
Can't renew contracts...
Cant make any new signings...
Their own horrible fans cant even buy a ticket to go see them play...
Have I missed anything?
I see the financial crisis emerging as an opportunity for Sky & others to negotiate down as they will lose customers themselves as the country tightens its belt. An opportunity to reset may emerge.
It will only be some players that 'suffer' (though not literally) as its been said elsewhere club staff rarely enjoy big salaries.
Was literally sitting in the health club lounge and went to get lunch and the shutters went down in front of my eyes.
Oh...
A strange co-incidence that it left port at Philipsberg, Sint Maarten late on 21 February, just a couple of days before Russia attacked. Draw your own conclusions.
They will have of course generated income since then, but I get the feeling they could be in a world of pain very soon withe RAs cash coming in, having said that I do expect a sale relatively quickly.
A bigger loss for Chelsea i think would be if Marina Granovskaia leaves. Recently voted the 'best club director in football' but she is of course Russian and very close to Abramovich, having worked for him for years even before he owned Chelsea.