Chelsea fans have lauded their billionaire owner Roman Abramovich for not treating the club as just another business entity.
Abramovich announced on Wednesday that he is willing to sell Chelsea Football Club in light of the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The billionaire could face sanctions from the UK government, as he is reported to have close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Roman Abramovich had earlier handed over the 'care and stewardship' to the club's trustees, and has now decided to sell the club, to avoid it being seized by the UK government.
Abramovich also said in his statement that the net proceeds from the sale will be donated to help war victims in Ukraine. He also wrote off the £1.5 billion he had loaned to the club, which they have used to bring in world-class players.
Since the Russian took over Chelsea in 2003, the club has seen major success. They have won five Premier League titles and two Champions League titles in his reign. They have also won five FA Cups, two Europa League titles and three League Cups. They completed the trophy cabinet with the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup this season.
He also transformed the fortunes of Chelsea Women's team. Since Abramovich's arrival, the team have won four Women's Super League titles and three Women's FA Cups.
Understandably, the club's fans were disappointed to hear the news of Abrahovich's exit after two decades. However, they lauded the Russian billionaire for putting the club first before his profit.
Here are some of their reactions on Twitter:
Chelsea beat Luton Town in fifth round of FA Cup
While news of Abramovich leaving has taken the limelight, the Blues progressed to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Wednesday. They narrowly avoided a major upset against Championship side Luton Town.
Manager Thomas Tuchel started a relatively weak side after their intense Carabao Cup final loss to Liverpool on Sunday, which the Blues lost on penalties.
The Championship club took the lead in the second minute to shock the European champions. The Blues came back through a Saul Niguez goal in the 27th minute, but Luton took the lead again in the 40th minute. Timo Werner was the saviour for the Blues in the second half, scoring to level proceedings before setting up Romelu Lukaku for the winner.
The Blues will now travel to Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday.