Roman Abramovich bought the Chelsea for £140m in 2003 and quickly flooded the club with cash and big loans in a relentless drive for success.
he”Roman empire”, as the fans call it, fell in the middle of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, leading to Abramovich punish with United Kingdom, forced to sell the club.
Amid the uncertainty over the future of Chelseathe media has begun to investigate how Abramovich He amassed the wealth needed to buy the club in 2003.
In the investigation of ‘Cyprus Confidential‘the files checked by Guardian and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), they asked the legality of apparently hidden payments linked to key moments of his trophy-laden mandate.
The files reveal a series of payments worth tens of millions of pounds over a decade, made through offshore vessels owned by Abramovich. The transactions in question appear to have benefited Chelsea, which was formed doubt about whether they are declared in the accounts presented to football’s governing bodies.
Beneficiaries appear to include the player’s agent Eden Hazardcoach’s partner Antonio Conte and directors of Chelsea FC. Other payments appear to be related to the purchase of players William and Samuel Eto’o.
The files also show at least 7 million euros in payments made between 2005 and 2017 to companies linked to Zoran and Vladica Lemić. The latter, a Abramovich’s main adviserwas a key figure in the advent of stars like Arjen RobbenBranislav IvanovićNemanja Matić and the coach Carlo Ancelotti.
During the investigation, complete silence
The Premier League He declined to comment as his investigation continues. A spokesman for the Football Association (FA) he pointed out: “We are investigating“.
On the other hand, the assumptions involved they show no signs of life.
Chelsea’s finances are already examined of the Premier League in an investigation that will extend from 2012 to 2019after the west London club’s new ownership regime voluntarily reported that it had submitted “incomplete financial information“during the mandate of Abramovich.
The Football Association confirmed to The Guardian that it is also investigating Chelsea, while the UEFAthe governing body of European football, already fined the club £8.6 million for admission, although his powers are limited as he can only review evidence from the previous three years.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
