When will Chelsea’s Roman apologists see sense?

YOU have to wonder what it will take for the penny to drop among those who find scepticism about Roman Abramovich so objectionable and believe his sentimentality for their club transcends his own commercial gain. Another week brings more proof to the contrary: Abramovich’s clash with a UK Government determined to ensure every penny of his £1.6billion loans to the club finds its way to those whose lives have been devastated by the Ukraine conflict. And to ensure not a penny reaches his children, via one of his maze of offshore trust funds. Abramovich has become ‘more punchy’ in his demands, according to Government officials. Unanswered phone calls and Chelsea’s ‘deeply complicated’ ownership structure are making it extremely hard to follow the money. It’s no surprise a foul tirade of abuse is generally directed at anyone questioning Abramovich’s motives. Football is a religion. Those who arrive with millions are its gods. And Abramovich has been the smoothest of operators, without uttering a public word since he inserted himself at Stamford Bridge 19 years ago. When he was sued by his one-time oligarch protector Boris Berezovsky in 2012, for allegedly intimidating him into selling a $3.1bn share in oil company Sibneft, the judge found him ‘unfailingly courteous to the court and counsel cross-examining him’. Berezovsky lost the case but the judge said of Abramovich: ‘I had little doubt that, if the need arose, he would have been prepared to act ruthlessly to achieve his commercial goals.’ When the Government delayed renewing his Tier 1 investor visa in May 2018, he cancelled the 60,000-seat new stadium for Chelsea which had been long in development. That leaves the club with a stadium far smaller than those of their top-six rivals. Another reason times will be so much tougher from now on, whether Todd Boehly’s takeover happens or not. But Abramovich’s current obfuscation even calls that into question — and time is tight. The FA need to register Chelsea for the Champions League by the end of the month. The Premier League meeting to establish next season is 22 days away. Some transfer groundwork is in place. The Robert Lewandowski situation is something Chelsea are aware of, with one year left on his contract. Christian Pulisic is a problem. He is a marketing tool but not happy with the situation under Thomas Tuchel. Tuchel met Boehly last weekend and told fans at Wembley ‘good things are coming’ but Abramovich is clinging grimly to his last piece of leverage: the power to control a sale. He wants the £1.6bn he paid in to be sent back out to one of his offshore funds. That fund would pay out to the charitable foundation which his people dressed up six weeks ago as evidence of his boundless altruism. Might these developments change the views of those who post images of the man in question, basking in acclaim as Abramovich poses with John Terry (left), Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba? Probably not. It is utterly naive and illusory to imagine there is any sentiment coming back their way. All we’ve had from Abramovich has been a 277-word statement from his people, saying he was selling and felt ‘pain’. We know Government sanctions were imminent when it was issued. It also raised the notion of him being at Stamford Bridge ‘for one last time to say goodbye to you all in person’. Needless to say, he would be looking for some adoration there. That really would take blind loyalty to the realms of the ridiculous.