AS CHELSEA fans, it is absolutely nothing new to see a global hatred of our club.
It is something that we saw when Roman Abramovich first took the reigns over nearly 20 years ago.
Roman Abramovich has made Chelsea increasingly unpopular with other teams’ fans
Chelsea fans will stand by their club and support the team regardless of ownership
The moment he started injecting his money into the club and spending huge sums on top new players, we were hated, we were ‘ruining football’.
Chelsea have once again become the most hated club in football, but this time it’s different.
With Russia invading Ukraine and our Russian owners alleged links to Vladimir Putin, we are now all being tarred with that brush.
Abramovich has always denied, and continues to deny any links to Putin’s regime, and many of us, as Chelsea fans, have supported this club way before Abramovich even took us over.
Yet we continued to be collectively tarnished as a club and group of supporters that are ‘Putin’s club’ amongst other slurs I have seen.
Whilst I am not playing anything down, and the situation is highly complex, but there are many things I am not personally in a position to speak about purely because I don’t know anything more than the speculation and rumours that we all read.
But the fact of the matter is, that Chelsea to us is the club we love, and has been before any involvement from our billionaire owner that happens to be Russian.
Right now though, we are treated as being guilty by association.
I can safely say that collectively Chelsea fans, the players, the manager, the staff, and even Abramovich’s own daughter who has publicly condemned Putin, are all entirely against what they are doing in Ukraine right now and the situation pains us all.
You could hear the fear and confusion in Tuchel’s words this week when he spoke about it, it’s a situation that we are all fully against.
Tuchel even doubts that if they win the League Cup today, can they even celebrate?
It doesn’t sit right morally whilst this is going on, according to him.
These guys are just out there trying to do their jobs but I am sure they will now be hated, booed, and anyone we play against now will have the support of the world purely because we represent Chelsea and are associated with Abramovich.
Do I believe he will sell?
Personally, I still don’t think he will, but the decision to step back and give trustees of Chelsea’s charitable foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea, genuinely has a feel that this club could soon be up for sale and I have mixed feelings about that if it does transpire.
The club will always be just fine despite the debt owed to Abramovich should any new owner take over.
The club is big enough to operate in profit and continue ticking over.
The club will not be short of new potential owners, and I have no fears about that side of things.
I think Abramovich taking this decision is probably very clever, it means that IF he is sanctioned at all then he has bought himself some time to make his next move, as well as making Chelsea easily sellable.
It’s confusing really as to what it means for the future of the club, but I think taking these measures means he is covering himself in case of something happening, yet personally I still don’t think it will.
Chelsea’s future will be just fine regardless, but whether that involves Abramovich or not remains to be seen and is rightly under doubt.
‘WEAK STATEMENT’
I think it’s put Chelsea and all associated with Chelsea in a really bad position, kind of like they will be damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
The club statement this morning was rather weak and probably should have been worded better, but the fact they have come out publicly and made a stance, is positive.
In some people’s eyes though now, Chelsea will always be ‘a Russian club’ and ‘evil’ despite having been in existence since 1905 WAY before Roman Abramovich was even born.
We must never detract from the fact though that all wars are wrong, and all wars are terrible, in my opinion.
THAT is the most pressing and concerning thing here, over anything else.
Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.sportingexcitement.com/football/premier-league/arsenal-loanee-karl-hein-to-be-out-for-at-least-month-after-freak-accident-at-home-tears-thumb-ligament-off-bone/
