“It’s not the moment to do this” – Thomas Tuchel hits out at Chelsea fans for Roman Abramovich chants at Turf Moor

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has criticized Blues fans for chanting owner Roman Abramovich's name during a minute's applause for the people of Ukraine.

The invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces continues to affect the football world and prior to Chelsea's Premier League game against Burnley on Saturday, it was once again a talking point.

Blues fans disrupted the minute's applause by chanting owner Roman Abramovich's name with the Russian set to sell the club amidst uncertainty over sanctions following the war in Ukraine.

Chelsea boss Tuchel took issue with this and lamented the fans for their actions. The former PSG manager told reporters following the game (via Daily Mirror):

"It's not the moment to do this,"

"Listen, if we show solidarity we show solidarity and we should do it together. We take the knee together and if an important person from our club or another club unfortunately dies, we show a minute of respect."

"It's not the moment to give other messages. It's the moment to show respect. We do this because this is what we are also as a club. We show respect as a club and we need our fans to commit to this minute of applause."

Tuchel continued,

"At this moment, we do it for Ukraine and there is no second opinion about the situation there. They have our thoughts and our support. We should stand together as a club. It's not the moment for other messages."

Will Chelsea change once Abramovich has sold the club?

With the Russian billionaire set to sell Chelsea in the near future, there begs the question as to whether the club will be affected.

The 55-year-old is regarded by many as the Premier League's best owner, constantly pumping money into the west London side with the team reaping the benefits.

Under his ownership, Chelsea have won five Premier League titles, two UEFA Champions Leagues, five FA Cups, three League Cups and two UEFA Europa Leagues.

This makes them the most successful Premier League team during his ownership and so Blues fans will be fearing for the future.

Abramovich has overseen huge transfers at the club. This includes the likes of Fernando Torres from Liverpool for £50 million in 2011, Jorginho from Napoli for the same amount in 2018 and most recently the £97.7 million transfer of Romelu Lukaku.

Will any future owner be prepared to sanction such hefty deals in the future?

Nevertheless, they won't feel the repercussions of Abramovich's departure financially as the Russian has reportedly decided to write off the £1.5 billion dept owed to him by the club.