PORTO, PORTUGAL - MAY 29: Chelsea FC owner, Roman Abramovich celebrates winning the Champions League following the UEFA Champions League Final between Manchester City and Chelsea FC at Estadio do Dragao on May 29, 2021 in Porto, Portugal. (Photo by Alex Caparros - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich sold the club in 2022 (Picture: Alex Caparros – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Billions of pounds from the sale of Chelsea FC will go towards humanitarian causes in Ukraine, Keir Starmer has announced.
The Prime Minister told MPs this afternoon that a licence was being issued to transfer £2.5 billion of funds from the football club’s former owner Roman Abramovich.
Since the Russian oligarch sold the club in 2022, the proceeds have been held in a UK bank account amid negotiations over where they will be sent.
Starmer said: ‘My message to Abramovich is this: the clock is ticking, honour the commitment that you made and pay up now.
‘If you don’t, we’re prepared to go to court so every penny reaches those whose lives have been torn apart by Putin’s illegal war.’
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