Blog #6- Sanctions and Soccer

I’ll preface this by saying that I think the Russian invasion of Ukraine is absolutely deplorable and I don’t support war in any shape or form. Now, I am an absolute die-hard Chelsea FC fan. For those that might not know, Chelsea is one of the top teams in the Premier League, which is the top-level club soccer league in England. It’s widely regarded as the best league in the world. Kind of like the NFL or NBA of soccer. Hopefully those comparisons help. Now, billions of dollars circulate in the world of soccer every year, being the most popular sport on the globe. So, top clubs are owned by very, VERYYYYY rich people. Chelsea, for the last couple of decades, has been owned by Roman Abramovich, a billionaire. Now, billionaires in general are a shitty concept (sorry if you like capitalism and are reading this), but Roman Abramovich is a Russian billionaire. He’s actually one of the foremost Russian oligarchs in the world and a former politician. He owns one of Russia’s largest investment companies, Millhouse LLC, and made much of his fortune in buying cheap real estate after the collapse of the Soviet Union and then selling it at inflated prices. I think you get the general picture. I could get further into his business history but I don’t think its necessary. What is important is that Roman Abramovich has had close relationships with multiple Russian leaders. He describes former Russian president Boris Yeltsin as a personal friend, and actually lived in an apartment in the Kremlin for a time during Yeltsin’s presidency. He was also elected governor of the Russian province of Chukotka while Yeltsin was president. Now, the really juicy stuff comes next. Abramovich was the first person to advise the appointment of Vladimir Putin when Yeltsin was deciding on a successor. During Putin’s tenure as Prime Minister, Abramovich was directly involved with the meetings that determined Putin’s cabinet members. Abramovich also recommended Dmitri Medvedev to Putin as his successor, which he would become before Putin returned to the office a few years later. Point being, Abramovich had serious political influence and billions to play with. Roman bought Chelsea in 2003, and in that time the club experienced unprecedented success. He was a self-professed fan of the sport and the club, and poured billions into the club over the years. Chelsea won the Premier League title for the first time in fifty years in 2005, and won it four more times during Abramovich’s tenure. They claimed dozens of other national and international trophies, all while Abramovich used his money to sign marquee players and cycle through high-profile managers when they failed to meet expectations. They renovated their stadium and built a high-end training facility. Point being, they experienced what is widely regarded as one of the greatest periods of success for a club soccer team ever, and Abramovich facilitated it all as owner. As a kid growing up, I had no concept of who Roman was or how any of it worked. I just knew the team I loved was winning a lot and it was exciting. Now, fast forward to the present and I have a much greater understanding of how all of these entities function, and the homeland of the owner of my favorite soccer team has just invaded another country. That’s a big oof. Abramovich has made public efforts to distance himself from the Kremlin in recent years, but ultimately none of us has any clue what happens behind closed doors there. Days after the invasion began, Roman announced that he would be putting Chelsea up for sale, not asking for the repayment of any loans he gave the club, and donating all the profits of the sale to a charity that directly benefits Ukrainian victims. Now, it’s fairly obvious that his motivations weren’t just that he had decided to move on from the club. He was in danger of UK sanctions as a Russian billionaire, which came to fruition just yesterday. And Roman was not able to complete the sale of the club before the sanctions, making it a whole lot more complicated. Now, my point in this ramble isn’t to ask you about the inner workings of business or government sanctions, but to ask you for your moral opinions. Do you think Abramovich has become a better person? Do you believe his gestures in regards to the sale redeem him in any way? And do you think professional sports teams should be held accountable for the outside dealings of their businessmen owners? I know this is less social media and more traditional media/economics/morality, but I am genuinely curious to get other perspectives. Thanks for reading.