Latest news with #Abramovich
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Chelsea wins Conference League to complete set of UEFA titles in liftoff for American owners
Chelsea finally has a trophy to show for the unprecedented levels of spending under its American owners, even if it's hardly one they'd have craved. The English club produced an impressive second-half rally to beat Real Betis 4-1 in the final of the Conference League on Wednesday, becoming in the process the first team to have all four of UEFA's club competitions in its trophy collection. Aside from the 1971 and 1998 titles in the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup, Chelsea's other European silverware — the Champions League in 2012 and 2021 and the Europa League in 2013 and 2019 — came in the trophy-laden tenure of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. The Abramovich era ended in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and Chelsea was bought by a consortium fronted by Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly that has since spent around $1.3 billion on new players in a high-risk move to remodel the squad with mostly young stars. Some of them delivered in the turnaround against Betis, with Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson converting pinpoint crosses from Cole Palmer in the 65th and 70th minutes, respectively, before substitute Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo added more goals in Wroclaw, Poland. Boehly went on the pitch after the final whistle to congratulate Chelsea's players after club captain Reece James lifted the trophy to a backdrop of ticker tape and loud roars from teammates in the middle of the field. "Coming into this competition, it was something we had to win," James said of the Conference League, Europe's oft-maligned third-tier competition. "Next season we go again in the Champions League."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
New Chelsea era has trophy springboard as Cole Palmer turns up with magic in Conference League final
Okay, so this was not exactly Munich or Porto. It was not even Amsterdam or Baku. But May 28 and Wroclaw will go down as an important date and place in the story of this new Chelsea, remembered for the first silverware of the post-Roman Abramovich era and the first, too, for Enzo Maresca and his young team. If Chelsea's goalscorers on those nights were their great heroes then here it was their provider and talisman. With Real Betis holding a deserved 1-0 lead, Cole Palmer conjured two wonderful assists in the space of five minutes, for Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson, to flip the final on its head. Betis were broken and the late goals flowed, from Jadon Sancho off the bench and Moises Caicedo through midfield. A 4-1 scoreline was harsh on the Spaniards, playing in their first ever European final, but fitting of the way Chelsea have dominated this competition from day one. Sure, it is only the Conference League, but Chelsea are now the first club to win four major European trophies. The claim to have 'won it all' rings true once more. The hope is that this will be a gateway triumph, one that starts the slide back towards a habit that had been involuntarily kicked and the winning addiction that was this club's hallmark for two decades. Who knows, with a Club World Cup to come in a fortnight's time, the winning might not be done just yet. From long-range, this fixture had looked less like a final with two possible outcomes and more like a jubilee, a celebration pre-destined to happen so long as the monarch stayed upright on the throne. Chelsea felt in possession of the trophy long before Reece James held it aloft. The reality on the night, though, was quite different. In the first-half, Maresca's men turned up but did little more, stunned by a Betis side whose desire and desperation bridged the gaps in European pedigree and financial might between the sides. Chelsea had waltzed to this showpiece, scoring 41 goals in 14 matches since qualifying, sharing the load between 36 different players and never once looking in danger of going out. The most arduous part of the journey had been 17,500 miles of travel, including a winter excursion to Kazakhstan. Here, they were too slow to recognise the uptick. This was not FC Noah or Shamrock Rovers, both hammered in the group stage, nor the 11th best team in Sweden, Djurgarden, who had put up no resistance whatsoever in the last-four. This was a Betis side who have just finished sixth in LaLiga, managed by a Premier League-winning coach in Manuel Pellegrini and furnished with players of experience and class. The opening goal was scored by a forward once of Barcelona and made brilliantly by a playmaker who won the Champions League five times with Real Madrid. Abde Ezzalzouli's finish was smart, but Isco's reverse pass sublime. Maresca knew all about the 33-year-old's talent, having played with the then emerging young Spaniard at Malaga. His players really should have, as well. There were lessons for the manager, too, though, chiefly that European finals are no time to be worrying about workload management. The Italian got his biggest selection call wrong, leaving James out of the side and watching his deputy, Malo Gusto, torn apart. At fault for the opening goal, the Frenchman was terrorised by Ezzalzouli and dragged at half-time. He was fortunate to make it that far. But then credit Maresca, too, for his substitutions. James and Levi Colwill brought presence and calm, before Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall created the clincher for Sancho, the latter's fine finish a potential farewell. Palmer, though, was the difference. His cross onto the head of Fernandez from an unpromising angle for the equaliser was perfect. His turn and delivery for Jackson was so good that it resulted in a goal even with the striker fluffing his headed finish and scoring off his chest. He tried, but quite literally couldn't miss. It has not been an easy second half of the season for Palmer, whose numbers through the autumn always looked unsustainable but have dropped off more than anyone could have predicted. On the big occasion, though, the 23-year-old turned up, as, eventually, did Chelsea at large. That is a good habit to get into - and so, too, is lifting cups.
BBC News
30-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Probably the best signing Chelsea ever made' - Mourinho's title 20 years on
"Probably the best signing Chelsea ever made."That was the view as journalist Rory Smith and former Chelsea defender Robert Huth discussed the former Blues boss' time in charge, 20 years on from winning Chelsea's first Premier League title after securing a 2-0 victory at Bolton."The moment that [Roman] Abramovich arrived is always presented as this great watershed for English football, which is definitely true, but for Chelsea I don't think it is quite right because it did feel like the decade building up to Abramovich's arrival, Chelsea's transformation had already started," The Athletic's Smith told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club."You could say Chelsea made the most of that sudden influx of players from abroad in the mid-90s, selling being in London, being Chelsea, having that slight historic reputation for being the 'Kings of the Kings Road'. You understood when Abramovich was looking for a club, it made sense and fitted that he went for Chelsea."You knew he wasn't messing around, you knew he wasn't likely to stick with the manager he inherited when you knew there was someone younger, sexier, and more 'his guy' out there and Mourinho fitted the bill perfectly for that."The thing that is most lasting about Mourinho probably isn't tactical, I don't think Mourinho's legacy in England is because of anything tactical – I think it is his character."English football thrives on character and personality, it is a character-led soap opera and Mourinho understood that." Huth, who was part of Mourinho's 2004-05 title-winning side, agreed and added: "He was a dictator, in the nicest possible way. Win at all costs is the best way to describe it."He didn't care how we won. That message of winning at all costs - we felt it every training session. We won 13 of the first 15 games. These messages are easier when you're winning."He put himself in front of the team or before the team, but when you see him as a team laughing about someone else's comments [Arsene Wenger's), as a group it just takes the edge off it. He never took time out to talk about any of that, he would just laugh."Jose was probably the best signing Chelsea ever made. He changed the attitude of Chelsea to push forward and challenge for Premier League titles."Find more Mourinho chat in the last hour of the show on BBC Sounds
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Revealed: How Man United lost out on Eden Hazard to Chelsea in 2012, despite agreeing fee and personal terms
Manchester United reportedly missed out on the signing of Eden Hazard back in 2012 after club officials refused to make a secret multimillion-pound payment to his agent. Hazard signed for Premier League rivals Chelsea from French club Lille for a reported £32million fee. The winger went on to win two Premier League titles and lifted the Europa League twice, the FA Cup and League Cup during a glittering seven-year spell with the Blues. According to the Times, Hazard had been on the cusp of a transfer to Man United in the summer of 2012, with the club having agreed a fee with Lille and personal terms with the Belgian winger. Hazard's then agent, John Bico, reportedly then suggested the club pay him £1million while demanding millions more directly from Man United's ownership. Club officials reportedly refused to agree, stressing that such an arrangement would have breached both Premier League and UEFA rules. The Times reported that the Premier League are still investigating a €7million (£6million) payment by an offshore company owned by Roman Abramovich, Chelsea's owner at the time, to Bico in 2013. There is no suggested Hazard, the PFA Player of the Year in the 2014-15 season, was aware of his agent's demand. The Belgian and his brother Thorgan split from Bico in 2014. Bico was arrested last year and is facing unconnected charges of financial crime in Belgium. Abramovich, 58, owned the Blues between 2003 and 2022, until he was sanctioned by the UK government and disqualified as a director of the club by the top flight after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. When the Todd Boehly-led consortium purchased Chelsea in May 2022, they self-reported historical cases of incomplete financial information during Abramovich's tenure. In July 2023, UEFA fined the Blues €10m (£8.6m) for 'submitting incomplete financial information' between 2012 and 2019. The Guardian and Bureau of Investigative Journalism later reported that leaked documents showed how Abramovich allegedly used offshore companies to make transactions to agents and associates, which appeared to benefit Chelsea. These alleged payments were said to be worth tens of millions of pounds and could therefore have breached financial rules if not officially declared. Last year, former Chelsea chief executive Marina Granovskaia was questioned over what she knew about the secret payments allegedly made under the ownership of Abramovich. According to The Guardian, the documents appeared to show that Granovskaia was made aware of the payment to Hazard's agent, as well as fees related to the transfers of Willian and Samuel Eto'o to Chelsea. Granovskaia has reportedly declined to comment. Speaking back in 2023 after the Guardian and Bureau of Investigative Journalism claims, a Chelsea spokesperson said: 'These allegations pre-date the club's current ownership. They are based on documents which the club has not been shown and do not relate to any individual who is presently at the club. '(During the purchase of the club the current owners become aware of) potentially incomplete financial reporting concerning historical transactions during the club's previous ownership. 'Immediately following the completion of the purchase, the club proactively self-reported these matters to all applicable football regulators. In accordance with the club's ownership group's core principles of full compliance and transparency the club has proactively assisted the applicable regulators with their investigations and will continue to do so.'
Daily Mirror
24-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Roman Abramovich's Chelsea stance and UK Government fury three years on from sale
Roman Abramovich purchased Chelsea in 2003 and his hefty investment guided the Blues to much success, yet his acrimonious departure from the club in 2022 reportedly still haunts the Russian Former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has apparently turned his back on football after a distressing breakup with the club. The Russian transformed Chelsea into one of the world's most successful teams after purchasing them in 2003. However, he had to endure the seizure of his assets and sanctions by the UK government for alleged links to Vladimir Putin following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Abramovich was then compelled to offload his Chelsea shares to Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in May of that year for £2.5 billion. It is believed that he also remains embittered by the UK Government's decision to retract his 'golden visa' in 2018, also known as the Tier 1 Investor visa, which grants residency to wealthy individuals making significant investments in the country. According to confidants, Abramovich has scarcely engaged with football since relinquishing control to Boehly's group. A source shared with The Sun:"Roman still likes football. But he doesn't go to games any more. It was always about Chelsea." However, fans may soon unearth more about the enigmatic Russian's views with Abramovich having given his first batch of interviews since 2021, for an upcoming book titled Sanctioned: The Inside Story of the Sale of Chelsea FC' The two-part interview is set to divulge his side of the story regarding the sale and the sanctions stemming from Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, reports Football London. One of the interviews was conducted in Abu Dhabi this January and another a year prior in Istanbul, where he reportedly spends much of his time. Chelsea fans will be eager for any insights from the 58-year-old, who hasn't participated in an official interview since 2006. Ex-Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel, who played under Abramovich's ownership, revealed that the Russian tycoon still feels bitter about being compelled to sell the club. "It's just unfortunate what happened: he lost the football club," Mikel said. "I still speak to people close to him and it still pains him. He's still angry about what happened. "He's not happy that he lost his 'baby' because Chelsea Football Club was his football club. He really cared about the football club, not just the players but the fans." In a statement released upon the sale, Abramovich said: "As I have stated before, I have always taken decisions with the club's best interest at heart. In the current situation, I have therefore taken the decision to sell the club, as I believe this is in the best interest of the club, the fans, the employees, as well as the club's sponsors and partners." During Abramovich's 19 years at the helm, Chelsea amassed an impressive haul of 21 major trophies, including five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, two Champions League crowns, and a pair of Europa League titles.
