Soccer-Chelsea fans wary of money men behind new prospective owners
By William Schomberg
LONDON (Reuters) – Chelsea followers arriving at Stamford Bridge a number of hours after a personal equity-backed deal to purchase the membership was introduced welcomed the prospect of a return to stability however expressed concern in regards to the motivations of the brand new house owners.
Chelsea mentioned within the early hours of Saturday that phrases had been agreed with a gaggle led by Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and backed by Clearlake Capital over a 4.25 billion pound ($5.2 billion) deal for the reigning European champions.
Chelsea’s present proprietor Roman Abramovich put the membership up on the market in early March after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which led to the British authorities sanctioning the Russian billionaire.
Jeff Oakley, a Chelsea fan since 1969, mentioned he hoped the brand new house owners would proceed to plough cash into the membership, however he wished extra readability about their plans.
“On the finish of the day they are not in right here as a result of they love the membership, they’re in right here as a result of they love the cash,” Oakley mentioned as he approached the stadium forward of Chelsea’s Premier League match at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The BBC reported that the brand new house owners have agreed to not promote a majority stake in Chelsea till 2032 and had given assurances over dividends and debt.
Martin Farrier, a long-standing Chelsea season ticket-holder, mentioned he would have most popular a British proprietor.
“However that is due to the way in which the Individuals seem to have run Manchester United into the bottom, and I might hate that to occur right here,” he mentioned.
The Florida-based Glazer household have owned United since 2005 and have confronted fan opposition from the second they accomplished their takeover because the membership did not match its earlier glittering type.
Against this, Chelsea have been England’s most profitable membership since Abramovich purchased the Londoners in 2003. However the turmoil over its possession has coincided with a drop in type in latest weeks.
Chelsea have been knocked out of the Champions League in April and are effectively adrift of Premier League leaders Manchester Metropolis. Subsequent Saturday’s FA Cup closing towards Liverpool provides them one final probability of silverware this season.
Ferdinand Weiss, a 22 year-old scholar from Austria who got here to London to see the group he has supported since he was a boy, mentioned gamers who’ve determined to go away Chelsea, reminiscent of defender Toni Rudiger, may need stayed with out the confusion.
“It is good to deliver some nonetheless water into the state of affairs,” Weiss mentioned.
As for the change in possession, he mentioned there was no good resolution for a membership as huge as Chelsea within the more and more profitable world of sports activities enterprise.
“It’s a must to choose oil cash, or it’s important to choose some billionaire from the U.S. There isn’t a saviour on the market.”
(Reporting by William Schomberg; Modifying by Hugh Lawson)
