Was there actually on there we didn't already know though? Or was it more a case of confirming some of the rumours / possible truths that have been doing the rounds?
For hose of us who have followed this story for 20 years, there wasn't that much new information but this is probably the first time that Panorama could put together a 30 minute program on the Chelsea owner without being hit by British lawyers representing Abramovich.
I can only echo Prague's words and say the Catherine Belton book, "Putin's people" is excellent and with 624 pages isn't for fans of the sound bite.
It took decades for Robert Maxwell to be seen as a crook because of British Lawyers who have no moral compass but enjoy the trappings of second and third homes.
Can't the FA donate the Chelsea gate receipts to Ukranian charities ? I hate Chelski so much.....only 2nd to Palarse on my detested clubs list
I have been a Chelsea hater since the same time as you after the 4-0 valley game from memory when their supporters showed what scum that many of them are.
The Chelsea trust have been decent in criticizing the chanting of Putin's fixer and also saying the club should withdraw their request for the match behind closed doors.
Chelsea FC took the dirty money that allowed them to make multi millionaires of the players agents, and now we are supposed to feel sorry for them. I had sympathy for Bury but Chelsea should pay a price for their complicity.
Chelsea are a Shit house of a football club with or without Abramovich.
Well that was an embarrassing mess of their own making , followed by an equally embarrassing u-turn.
Hats off to Steve Gibson though for calling them out on it, and their "sporting integrity" more generally.
On a serious point though, I wonder if this whole latest charade is down to the fact that whoever was advising them on PR / legal matters in the past is no longer allowed to act for them because of the sanctions; hence whatever clown is in charge deciding they knew best and pushing the button on these laughable club statements - in much the same way dear old Uncle Roland used to do the same with us.
Make no mistake, these sanctions are hitting them big time in all sorts of ways. Good.
This kind of embarrassing thing wouldn’t happen if they had a CEO (checks note) oh, they do, carry on
And she’s really leading from the front, isn’t she, just like chairman Bruce Buck. They’ve come out and said (checks note) precisely sod all.
Disgusting that they’ve left it down to Tuschel, who should be allowed to focus on the footballing side of the business, and done nothing themselves.
How ironic the term “sporting integrity” was used in their argument for behind closed doors. A club that wanted a European Super League that was the absolute epitome of everything that doesn’t constitute sporting integrity….
I know it’s not the same as dirty Russian or dirty Saudi money, but both of those guys made a very good living out of football and continue to do so as pundits via their contracts with Sky. They’re both decent individuals but I find it odd when football, particularly the Premier League examines itself and talks about regulation.
They can’t have it both ways. The money Abramovich pumps into Chelsea, buys the superstars who play for the teams that make punters hand over a hundred quid a month to Sky, which makes companies want to advertise on tv, to advertise and sell products to the masses in an endless cycle.
To sort of step out of this and start to question the system when being paid well by the system and talk of ethics and risk and independent regulators is something I can’t get my head around.
I was thinking about this the other day. My target sector for my work is financial services. I had a discovery meeting with Credit Suisse. Recently, they’ve been in the news for all the wrong reasons, bad culture, money laundering etc. Am I going to object to prospecting them? Absolutely not.
I’m not digging out Neville or Carragher, but football is such a plastic sport in so many ways, those that are in it, including the fans, have lost all sense of normality in some circumstances.
How many of us were/are up in arms at Qatar being awarded the WC and migrant slave Labour? Lots of us. Will the majority of us still watch it or members of the barmy army still travel out there? Absolutely. If we’re in the semis or final in November, the deaths of however many migrants from places like Bangladesh won’t even be a flicker of a thought in our minds
Comments
For hose of us who have followed this story for 20 years, there wasn't that much new information but this is probably the first time that Panorama could put together a 30 minute program on the Chelsea owner without being hit by British lawyers representing Abramovich.
It took decades for Robert Maxwell to be seen as a crook because of British Lawyers who have no moral compass but enjoy the trappings of second and third homes.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60747640
Are they really just ignoring who bankrolled them for the last 20 years?
https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/a-statement-from-middlesbrough-fc
As if things are not stacked heavily enough in their favour already.
I have been a Chelsea hater since the same time as you after the 4-0 valley game from memory when their supporters showed what scum that many of them are.
The Chelsea trust have been decent in criticizing the chanting of Putin's fixer and also saying the club should withdraw their request for the match behind closed doors.
Chelsea FC took the dirty money that allowed them to make multi millionaires of the players agents, and now we are supposed to feel sorry for them.
I had sympathy for Bury but Chelsea should pay a price for their complicity.
Chelsea are a Shit house of a football club with or without Abramovich.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60757919
Hats off to Steve Gibson though for calling them out on it, and their "sporting integrity" more generally.
On a serious point though, I wonder if this whole latest charade is down to the fact that whoever was advising them on PR / legal matters in the past is no longer allowed to act for them because of the sanctions; hence whatever clown is in charge deciding they knew best and pushing the button on these laughable club statements - in much the same way dear old Uncle Roland used to do the same with us.
Make no mistake, these sanctions are hitting them big time in all sorts of ways. Good.
Nice they'd have left their own fans out of pocket (travel etc) had they managed to get their wish!!
https://twitter.com/boro/status/1503858417840140289?s=21
How ironic the term “sporting integrity” was used in their argument for behind closed doors. A club that wanted a European Super League that was the absolute epitome of everything that doesn’t constitute sporting integrity….
https://youtu.be/7D1FUaQen3U
They can’t have it both ways. The money Abramovich pumps into Chelsea, buys the superstars who play for the teams that make punters hand over a hundred quid a month to Sky, which makes companies want to advertise on tv, to advertise and sell products to the masses in an endless cycle.