Abramovich visa delay

CHELSEA owner Roman Abramovich is yet to have his UK visa renewed after it reportedly ran out in April, forcing the billionaire owner of Chelsea Football Club to return to Russia.

Abramovich was not at Wembley on Saturday for the club’s FA Cup final victory over Manchester United. His visa request has not been rejected by the home office, but authorities have been unusually slow over the process and are yet to offer an explanation for the delay, according to sources.

Abramovich is Russia’s 11th richest man with wealth of £11 billion (RM58b), according to estimates by Forbes magazine. The 51-year-old made his fortune predominantly in the oil industry in the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

He bought Chelsea in 2003 and invested heavily in the club, building its commercial power, establishing a new training complex and bringing in new players and staff.

He has developed a reputation for giving managers little time to prove themselves. But despite the high turnover of coaches, Chelsea have achieved great success under his ownership, winning five League titles, five FA Cups (the most recent this weekend), three League Cups, one Champions League and one Europa League.

Wealthy Russians have long favoured London as a place in which to live or do business.

However, relations between the UK and Russia hit a low after London accused Moscow of poisoning former double-agent Sergei Skripal in Britain in March. Russia has denied any involvement in the poisoning and retaliated in kind. – The Independent