Dispute Emerges Over Abramovich’s £2.35bn Chelsea Sale Proceeds

  /  autty

A disagreement has surfaced between the UK Government and former Chelsea F.C. owner Roman Abramovich over how the proceeds from the club’s £2.35 billion sale should be distributed.

According to Chelsea’s internal accounting records, Abramovich is only obliged to donate £987 million — the net profit from the sale — to charitable causes. The remaining funds, his legal team argues, still belong to the Russian billionaire and therefore cannot be forcibly redirected.

The UK government, however, maintains that the entire £2.35 billion generated from the sale should be transferred into a humanitarian foundation dedicated exclusively to victims of the war in Ukraine. Officials have warned that legal action could be pursued if Abramovich fails to comply with this expectation.

Abramovich’s lawyers counter that the funds are legally his and that charitable donations cannot be made compulsory under existing legal frameworks. They further argue that while £987 million has been earmarked for charity, any foundation established should support all victims of war — including Russians — rather than being limited solely to Ukrainians.

The dispute highlights ongoing tensions surrounding the aftermath of Abramovich’s forced sale of Chelsea following sanctions imposed after the outbreak of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. With both sides holding firm positions, the matter could ultimately be decided in court if negotiations fail to produce a compromise.

Related: Chelsea
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