I asked my new friend Claude. He cautioned that he could not reliably go back to summer 2003 for the intial response, but he offered this, which supports my point sufficiently. I'm not blaming anyone on here, and he arrived before this forum had even started but there were times before that when i thought I was fighting windmills trying to warn people about him. Then again, understandable because most people weren't particularly familiar with everything that went down in Russia and its former colonies.
The shift in political attitudes toward Abramovich's ownership of Chelsea was quite dramatic over time. The key turning points were:
2010-2012: Growing scrutiny during his UK visa renewal process, with questions being raised in Parliament about the origin of his wealth. However, this remained relatively low-key.
2018: A major shift occurred when Abramovich's UK investor visa renewal was delayed amid heightened tensions between the UK and Russia following the Salisbury poisonings. This led to him withdrawing his visa application. Conservative MPs, particularly those on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, began openly questioning his presence in UK football.
2019-2021: Cross-party concern grew about Russian influence in the UK, with Chelsea's ownership frequently cited in parliamentary debates about the need for stronger ownership rules in football. Labour MPs increasingly called for greater scrutiny of football ownership structures.
2022: The most dramatic shift came after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The UK government's sanctions on Abramovich effectively forced the sale of Chelsea. This period saw near-unanimous political consensus, with both Conservative and Labour MPs supporting the measures. Notable figures like Tom Tugendhat had become particularly vocal critics.
This evolution reflected broader changes in UK-Russia relations and increased political concern about foreign ownership in football generally. What had started as a relatively uncontroversial business transaction in 2003 had become, by 2022, a major political issue that united politicians across traditional party lines.
All those British people who just assumed he was a smart guy in the Bill Gates/Richard Branson mould....
Did anyone assume that?
Thought it was common knowledge he got the oil business from the state through dodgy backhanders, was a mate of Putin etc.
Memory plays tricks then. When he arrived it was “suggested” that he was running away from Putin, a very clever byznysman and a really nice cuddly chap. Thats why all the Chelsea fans called him “Roman”, and why everyone welcomed him, politicians, HMRC, and of course estage agents lawyers, City types…
I didn't. Chelsea were on the verge of going bust, which I would have enjoyed. We should have chased him away and sunk his boat.
All those British people who just assumed he was a smart guy in the Bill Gates/Richard Branson mould....
Did anyone assume that?
Thought it was common knowledge he got the oil business from the state through dodgy backhanders, was a mate of Putin etc.
Memory plays tricks then. When he arrived it was “suggested” that he was running away from Putin, a very clever byznysman and a really nice cuddly chap. Thats why all the Chelsea fans called him “Roman”, and why everyone welcomed him, politicians, HMRC, and of course estage agents lawyers, City types…
I didn't. Chelsea were on the verge of going bust, which I would have enjoyed. We should have chased him away and sunk his boat.
Thats ridiculous who ever heard of anyone getting their billionaire boat deliberately sunk in order to remove an inconvenient person causing problems.
All those British people who just assumed he was a smart guy in the Bill Gates/Richard Branson mould....
Did anyone assume that?
Thought it was common knowledge he got the oil business from the state through dodgy backhanders, was a mate of Putin etc.
Memory plays tricks then. When he arrived it was “suggested” that he was running away from Putin, a very clever byznysman and a really nice cuddly chap. Thats why all the Chelsea fans called him “Roman”, and why everyone welcomed him, politicians, HMRC, and of course estage agents lawyers, City types…
I didn't. Chelsea were on the verge of going bust, which I would have enjoyed. We should have chased him away and sunk his boat.
turns out it was a flotilla, but otherwise spot on. Not only were Chelsea on the brink but other clubs were showing signs of wanting to get spending under control.
My friends thought I was obsessed with hatred for Putin's bitch in London and I probably was but when it's clear to a half wit like me that he was laundering money at the Odious Chelsea from the 1st day he showed up in London I just assumed over two decades he had paid off people who should investigate the criminal Abramovich. To go from a 25 year old Russian Doll salesman to one of the richest people in Europe in 10 years was quite an achievement but mugging off the Russian people and getting a state company for peanuts helped !
All those British people who just assumed he was a smart guy in the Bill Gates/Richard Branson mould....
Did anyone assume that?
Thought it was common knowledge he got the oil business from the state through dodgy backhanders, was a mate of Putin etc.
Memory plays tricks then. When he arrived it was “suggested” that he was running away from Putin, a very clever byznysman and a really nice cuddly chap. Thats why all the Chelsea fans called him “Roman”, and why everyone welcomed him, politicians, HMRC, and of course estage agents lawyers, City types…
I didn't. Chelsea were on the verge of going bust, which I would have enjoyed. We should have chased him away and sunk his boat.
turns out it was a flotilla, but otherwise spot on. Not only were Chelsea on the brink but other clubs were showing signs of wanting to get spending under control.
I would have been content to sink just the one boat, as long as he was on it
Prague, do you think RA takeover of Chelsea was his insurance policy against being 'disappeared' if he ever fell foul of Putin ie to become so well known that a fatal on purpose accident would be too difficult for Putin to arrange for a famous football figure.
Prague, do you think RA takeover of Chelsea was his insurance policy against being 'disappeared' if he ever fell foul of Putin ie to become so well known that a fatal on purpose accident would be too difficult for Putin to arrange for a famous football figure.
I'm not sure anyone in Europe is beyond Putin at least attempting to kill. If he can blatantly murder powerful figures like Yevgeny Prigozhin (Wagner Group boss) then topping Abramovic would be nothing.
It is part of dictatorships and Putin is a dictator without doubt. If you cross them you die.
You could make a fortune in Russia selling reinforced glass windows in all tall buildings. The amount of people who annoyed Putin and then mysteriously fell out of a window is quite remarkable.
All those British people who just assumed he was a smart guy in the Bill Gates/Richard Branson mould....
Did anyone assume that?
Thought it was common knowledge he got the oil business from the state through dodgy backhanders, was a mate of Putin etc.
Memory plays tricks then. When he arrived it was “suggested” that he was running away from Putin, a very clever byznysman and a really nice cuddly chap. Thats why all the Chelsea fans called him “Roman”, and why everyone welcomed him, politicians, HMRC, and of course estage agents lawyers, City types…
Yes, that's the way I remember it. Interesting investigation, makes you sick though as he could completely afford to pay all the VAT anyway.
Prague, do you think RA takeover of Chelsea was his insurance policy against being 'disappeared' if he ever fell foul of Putin ie to become so well known that a fatal on purpose accident would be too difficult for Putin to arrange for a famous football figure.
As I recall, (from subsequent documentaries and books) Putin required the oligarchs to bend the knee, Abramovic was ready to do that. It seems fairly clear from what I have read that Putin agreed to him buying Chelsea. Good “soft power” move. As others have said, it wasnt much of an insurance policy.
Best book on the overall subject is Catherine Belton’s “Putin’s People”, but it doesnt deal much with him because he was a good boy.
Comments
The shift in political attitudes toward Abramovich's ownership of Chelsea was quite dramatic over time. The key turning points were:
2010-2012: Growing scrutiny during his UK visa renewal process, with questions being raised in Parliament about the origin of his wealth. However, this remained relatively low-key.
2018: A major shift occurred when Abramovich's UK investor visa renewal was delayed amid heightened tensions between the UK and Russia following the Salisbury poisonings. This led to him withdrawing his visa application. Conservative MPs, particularly those on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, began openly questioning his presence in UK football.
2019-2021: Cross-party concern grew about Russian influence in the UK, with Chelsea's ownership frequently cited in parliamentary debates about the need for stronger ownership rules in football. Labour MPs increasingly called for greater scrutiny of football ownership structures.
2022: The most dramatic shift came after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The UK government's sanctions on Abramovich effectively forced the sale of Chelsea. This period saw near-unanimous political consensus, with both Conservative and Labour MPs supporting the measures. Notable figures like Tom Tugendhat had become particularly vocal critics.
This evolution reflected broader changes in UK-Russia relations and increased political concern about foreign ownership in football generally. What had started as a relatively uncontroversial business transaction in 2003 had become, by 2022, a major political issue that united politicians across traditional party lines.
To think he was going to buy Spurs.
They benefited from it and the business is still going despite being under different ownership
Best book on the overall subject is Catherine Belton’s “Putin’s People”, but it doesnt deal much with him because he was a good boy.