Abramovich wants ‘proper goodbye’ at Chelsea

Former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has said he wants to return to Stamford Bridge for a “proper goodbye,” in the Russian’s first interview since sanctions forced him to sell the club three years ago.
Abramovich was sanctioned following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 as the UK government froze the assets of multiple oligarchs in a bid to “isolate [President Vladamir] Putin and those around him.” Abramovich sold the two-time Champions League winners to a consortium led by U.S. investor Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in May that year.
The 58-year-old’s last known media interview was with Forbes in 2021 but in the book “Sanctioned” by Nick Purewal, Abramovich addressed the possibility of returning to Chelsea, and potentially football.
“Perhaps one day there would be a situation where I could attend a match and say a proper goodbye, but nothing more than that,” Abramovich said in an interview in Abu Dhabi earlier this year.
“I don’t have any interest in any role in a football club, certainly not a professional role.
“There might be something where I could help with academies and youngsters, giving greater opportunities to people from difficult backgrounds, if there were an initiative that could make a difference.
“But as for ownership or a professional role at a club, I am done with that in this lifetime.”