In the previous reports, On March 2, Abramovich said he planned to sell the Chelsea club after being allegedly closer to Russia’s political leadership in the aftermath of the Ukraine invasion.
Out of 11 rivals, Chelsea was sold to American-based Businessman Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital for £4.25bn. According to BBC, he is also a part-owner of seven-time baseball World Series champions, the LA Dodgers, the US women’s basketball team, the Los Angeles Sparks, and the NBA franchise, the Los Angeles Lakers. He also managed restaurant chains, Bruce Springsteen’s song rights, and a sports betting firm.
Mark Walter, a co-owner of the LA Dodgers, and Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss are also investors in the club.
The UK Government gave Chelsea a special operating license that will expire on May 31. Fortunately, the sale was completed the day before. Upon issuing the new license, Abramovich is not allowed to receive any of the profits from the deal, which will instead go into a frozen bank account to be donated to charities supporting victims of the war in Ukraine.
Boehly said that he was “honoured” and “wanted to make fans proud”. “We are honoured to become the new custodians of Chelsea Football Club,” he said.
“We’re all in – 100% – every minute of every match. Our vision as owners is clear: we want to make the fans proud.
“Along with our commitment to developing the youth squad and acquiring the best talent, our plan of action is to invest in the club for the long term and build on Chelsea’s remarkable history of success.
“I personally want to thank ministers and officials in the British government, and the Premier League, for all their work in making this happen.”
Chelsea under Roman Ambramovich
He bought Chelsea in 2003, for £140m. The club on every major trophy – two Champions Leagues, five Premier Leagues, five FA Cups, two Europa Leagues, and three EFL Cups. They won Uefa Super Cup and, in February, their first Club World Cup in August 2021.
The promising Chelsea women’s team, who joined forces with Chelsea FC in 2004, have won five Women’s Super League titles and four FA Cups.
In the past years, he appointed 13 managers, and the club has spent more than £2bn in the transfer market.
When an agreement for sale was reached, he said: “As I hand over Chelsea to its new custodians, I would like to wish them the best of success, both on and off the pitch.
“It has been an honour of a lifetime to be a part of this club – I would like to thank all the club’s past and current players, staff, and of course fans for these incredible years.”
