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How Roman Abramovich transformed the Premier League when he bought Chelsea 14 years ago

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FOREIGN owners, eh? They come over here, buying our football clubs.

Americans at Liverpool and Man Utd, Thais at Leicester, Italians at Watford, Emiratis at Manchester City; they’re everywhere with their big ideas and even bigger wallets.

 Roman Abramovich lifts the Champions League trophy in 2012

GETTY IMAGES – GETTY: Roman Abramovich lifts the Champions League trophy in 2012

But football fans tend to treat the foreign owner with suspicion, like they have an ulterior motive.

Sometimes, like at Charlton under Roland Duchâtelet or Leeds under Massimo Cellino, they have every right to, but, occasionally, it can be the making of your club.

Take Roman Abramovich. When he bought Chelsea for £140 milllion in the summer of 2003, the Russian oil and gas magnate set about revolutionising a club that hadn’t won the league title for half a century.

 Roman enjoys a lavish lifestyle and has turned Chelsea into a leading club

PA:PRESS ASSOCIATION: Roman enjoys a lavish lifestyle and has turned Chelsea into a leading club

Tellingly, he also predicted what would happen to then English game.

“I think what this could signal is the arrival of overseas sugar daddies,” he said.

“If this is the start of the super-rich invaders it’ll be very, very interesting to see how the fans react to it.”

 Happy clapper! Roman cheers the Blues on to victory

NEWS GROUP NEWSPAPERS LTD: Happy clapper! Roman cheers the Blues on to victory

Fast forward 14 years and Abramavich’s prophecy has come to pass.

Today, professional football is awash with magnets and moguls, tycoons and oligarchs; an army of billionaires indulging themselves in the world’s most popular sport.

Whether that’s a good things depends on you and your club’s experience of them. Charlton, Sunderland, Aston Villa and Birmingham City fans, for example, might have a few things to say about having foreign owners.

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But there can be no denying that Abramovich’s impact at Chelsea not only changed the face of the club but, in many ways, modern day football itself.

Since Abramovich took the reins at Stamford Bridge, it’s proved to be a period of unprecedented success for the Blues with five Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, one Europa League and one famous Champions League triumph.

 Roman, give us a wave. Chelsea owner celebrates 2005 title win

TIMES NEWSPAPERS LTD: Roman, give us a wave. Chelsea owner celebrates 2005 title win

Chuck in a couple of Community Shields and it all amounts to three more trophies than the club had won in their entire 112-year history prior to the Russian’s arrival.

But it’s not Chelsea that have benefitted – it’s English football itself.

Cast your mind back to football in the summer of 2003.

The Premier League title had been won by Manchester United (8 times) and Arsenal (2) for 10 of the 11 seasons it had been in existence.

The only other club to have won it was Blackburn Rovers, another team accused of ‘buying the title’, thanks to the millions injected into the club by the late Jack Walker.

It was a duopoly at best, a monopoly at worst.

Abramovich’s intervention at Chelsea changed all that.

Initially, it was driven by his vast wealth. In his first year as owner, Chelsea’s outlay on players rose from just £500,000 (on the Portuguese midfielder Felipe Oliveria) to £153 million.

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A clutch of new players arrived, including Glen Johnson, Geremi, Wayne Bridge, Damien Duff, Joe Cole, Juan Sebastian Veron, Adrian Mutu, Alexei Smertin, Hernan Crespo and Claude Makelele – and that was just in the first two months.

But it was his choice of manager that made the real difference.

Out went Claudio Ranieri in the summer of 2004 and in came Jose Mourinho, the young Portuguese manager who had steered Porto to a UEFA Cup and a Champions League win.

The rest, as Chelsea’s groaning trophy cabinet will testify, is history.

Like the Chelsea owner, Mourinho’s arrival also changed the football landscape in England.

In the augural season of the Premier League in 1992/93 there wasn’t a single foreign coach in the division.

Today, they are the norm, not the exception.

Think about it. Would the Premier League now have Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp? Would Antonio Conte be at Chelsea now?

And, beyond that, would we even have all five English teams (all managed by top foreign coaches) on the verge of making the last 16 of the Champions League?

 Roman Abramovich and Antonio Conte with the Premier League trophy in May, 2017

GETTY – CONTRIBUTOR: Roman Abramovich and Antonio Conte with the Premier League trophy in May, 2017

When it comes to managers, Abramovich’s revolving door recruitment policy, though costly, has also shown that it’s not always a bad thing to try someone or something new when it comes to your coach, despite the long-held belief that success only ever comes from stability.

So-called ‘Super Coaches’ have higher standards and greater demands.

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They have an army of backroom staff dedicated to finding those marginal gains that make all the difference in professional sport.

And it’s this quest for perfection that’s filtered through in the wake of Abramovich’s takeover at Chelsea.

 Roman Abramovich and Jose Mourinho meet in happier times at Stamford Bridge

PA:PRESS ASSOCIATION: Roman Abramovich and Jose Mourinho meet in happier times at Stamford Bridge

Fans may complain about the game losing some of its soul – with some justification – and how the Premier League has been commercialised to within an inch of his life.

But take a look at the league as it is today and you’ll see stadiums and facilities that are not just better, but pretty much full, week in, week out.

The playing surfaces have gone from quagmires to bowling greens; and the players, thanks in no small part to an influx of foreign coaches with new ideas and innovations, are quicker, technically better and significantly more athletic.

Would any of this been possible without Roman Abramovich’s masterplan?

 Roman's masterplan has turned Chelsea into a football powerhouse

AFP: Roman’s masterplan has turned Chelsea into a football powerhouse

Quite possibly.

But has he genuinely made a material difference to football in England?

Undoubtedly.

And to think that he originally wanted to buy Spurs.

 

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Crime & Court

Osun police arrest three night guards over alleged murder of 40-year-old man

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A night guard at Ibuowo Estate, Okinni, Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun State, on Saturday, allegedly shot dead a 40-year-old man, Badmus Mohammed.

The guard, Rasaq Moshood, DAILY POST gathered, shot Mohammed, a tenant, who is popularly called Lasgidi dead with his dane gun.

His Landlord, Kazeem Jimoh told DAILY POST that he was at a bar with the deceased till midnight on Friday, before he was called on phone about his death.

According to Kazeem, his tenant was killed at the front of the house, while his door was left open.

“I and Kazeem were at a bar till past 12 when I left him.

“I didn’t sleep at home but I got a call around 1 a.m. that Lasgidi was killed by a guard. When i got home, I saw his door open, while his corpse was outside,” he said.

The Police spokesperson, SP Yemisi Opalola confirmed the incident.

She noted that three night guards have been arrested with their dane guns.

According to her, “one Babatunde Olumide, the Chairman of Ibuowo Estate Okinni reported at dada Estate Divisional Police Hqts., that their night guard, one Moshood Rasaq used his dane gun to shoot one Mohammed Badmus, aged 40 years and he died instantly.

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“Suspect has been arrested, gun used has been recovered, while the corpse has been taken to UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital morgue for autopsy.”

Opalola added that the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation.

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Chinese astronauts return to earth after six months in space

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Officials stand near the capsule of the Shenzhou-13 spacecraft after it returned to earth carrying three Chinese astronauts in China’s Inner Mongolia on April 16, 2022. STR / AFP

Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Saturday after 183 days in space, ending China’s longest crewed mission as it continues its quest to become a major space power.

The Shenzhou-13 spacecraft was the latest mission in Beijing’s drive to rival the United States, after landing a rover on Mars and sending probes to the Moon.

Live footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed the capsule landing in a cloud of dust, with the ground crew who had kept clear of the landing site rushing in helicopters to reach the capsule.

The two men and one woman — Zhai Zhigang, Ye Guangfu and Wang Yaping — returned to Earth shortly before 10 am Beijing time (0200 GMT), after six months aboard the Tianhe core module of China’s Tiangong space station.

Ground crew applauded as the astronauts each took turns to report that they were in good physical condition.

Zhai was the first to emerge from the capsule roughly 45 minutes after the landing, waving and grinning at cameras as he was lifted by the ground crew into a specially designed chair before being bundled into a blanket.

“I’m proud of our heroic country,” Zhai said in an interview with CCTV shortly after leaving the capsule. “I feel extremely good.”

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The trio originally launched in the Shenzhou-13 from China’s northwestern Gobi Desert last October, as the second of four crewed missions during 2021-2022 sent to assemble the country’s first permanent space station — Tiangong, which means “heavenly palace.”

Wang became the first Chinese woman to spacewalk last November, as she and her colleague Zhai installed space station equipment during a six-hour stint.

Mission commander Zhai, 55, is a former fighter pilot who performed China’s first spacewalk in 2008, while Ye is a People’s Liberation Army pilot.

The trio have completed two spacewalks, carried out numerous scientific experiments, set up equipment and tested technologies for future construction during their time in orbit.

The astronauts spent the past few weeks tidying up and preparing the cabin facilities and equipment for the crew of the incoming Shenzhou-14, expected to be launched in the coming months.

China’s previous record spaceflight mission length was set by last year’s Shenzhou-12 deployment, which lasted 92 days.

Six months will become the normal astronaut residence period aboard the Chinese space station, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Space race

The world’s second-largest economy has poured billions into its military-run space programme, with hopes of having a permanently crewed space station by 2022 and eventually sending humans to the Moon.

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The country has come a long way in catching up with the United States and Russia, whose astronauts and cosmonauts have decades of experience in space exploration.

But under Chinese President Xi Jinping, the country’s plans for its heavily-promoted “space dream” have been put into overdrive.

Besides a space station, Beijing is also planning to build a base on the Moon, and the country’s National Space Administration said it aims to launch a crewed lunar mission by 2029.

China has been excluded from the International Space Station since 2011 when the US banned NASA from engaging with the country.

While China does not plan to use its space station for global cooperation on the scale of the ISS, Beijing has said it is open to foreign collaboration although the scope of that cooperation is not yet clear.

The ISS is due for retirement after 2024, although NASA has said it could remain functional until 2030.

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Putin’s Russia finally invades Ukraine

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Black smoke rises from a military airport in Chuguyev near Kharkiv on February 24, 2022.(Photo by Aris Messinis / AFP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine on Thursday with explosions heard soon after across the country and its foreign minister warning a “full-scale invasion” was underway.

Weeks of intense diplomacy and the imposition of Western sanctions on Russia failed to deter Putin, who had massed between 150,000 and 200,000 troops along the borders of Ukraine.

“I have made the decision of a military operation,” Putin said in a surprise television announcement that triggered immediate condemnation from US President Joe Biden and sent global financial markets into turmoil.

Shortly after the announcement, explosions were heard in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and several other cities, according to AFP correspondents.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his address to the nation at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 21, 2022. Alexey NIKOLSKY / Sputnik / AFP

 

Putin called on Ukrainian soldiers to lay down their arms and justified the operation by claiming the government was overseeing a “genocide” in the east of the country.

The Kremlin had earlier said rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine had asked Moscow for military help against Kyiv.

The extent of Thursday’s attacks was not immediately clear, but Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the worst-case scenario was playing out.

“Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes,” Kuleba tweeted.

“This is a war of aggression. Ukraine will defend itself and will win. The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now.”

Biden immediately warned of “consequences” for Russia and that there would be a “catastrophic loss of life and human suffering”.

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NATO’s chief condemned Russia’s “reckless and unprovoked attack” on Ukraine.

Putin’s move came after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky made an emotional appeal late on Wednesday night to Russians not to support a “major war in Europe”.

Speaking Russian, Zelensky said that the people of Russia were being lied to about Ukraine.

Zelensky said he had tried to call Putin but there was “no answer, only silence”, adding that Moscow now had around 200,000 soldiers near Ukraine’s borders.

Earlier on Wednesday the separatist leaders of Donetsk and Lugansk sent separate letters to Putin, asking him to “help them repel Ukraine’s aggression”, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The two letters were published by Russian state media and were both dated February 22.

Their appeals came after Putin recognised their independence and signed friendship treaties with them that include defence deals.

– ‘Moment of peril’ –

Putin had for weeks defied a barrage of international criticism over the crisis, with some Western leaders saying he was no longer rational.

His announcement of the military operation came ahead of a last-ditch summit involving European Union leaders in Brussels planned for Thursday.

The 27-nation bloc had also imposed sanctions on Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu and high-ranking figures including the commanders of Russia’s army, navy and air force, another part of the wave of Western punishment after Putin sought to rewrite Ukraine’s borders.

The United Nations Security Council met late Wednesday for its second emergency session in three days over the crisis, with a personal plea there by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to Putin going unheeded.

“President Putin, stop your troops from attacking Ukraine, give peace a chance, too many people have already died,” Guterres said.

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The US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, warned that an all-out Russian invasion could displace five million people, triggering a new European refugee crisis.

Before Putin’s announcement, Ukraine had urged its approximately three million citizens living in Russia to leave.

“We are united in believing that the future of European security is being decided right now, here in our home, in Ukraine,” President Zelensky said during a joint media appearance with the visiting leaders of Poland and Lithuania.

Western capitals said Russia had amassed 150,000 troops in combat formations on Ukraine’s borders with Russia, Belarus and Russian-occupied Crimea and on warships in the Black Sea.

Ukraine has around 200,000 military personnel, and could call up to 250,000 reservists.

Moscow’s total forces are much larger — around a million active-duty personnel — and have been modernised and re-armed in recent years.

 

– High cost of war –

But Ukraine has received advanced anti-tank weapons and some drones from NATO members. More have been promised as the allies try to deter a Russian attack or at least make it costly.

Shelling had intensified in recent days between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists — a Ukrainian soldier was killed on Wednesday, the sixth in four days — and civilians living near the front were fearful.

Dmitry Maksimenko, a 27-year-old coal miner from government-held Krasnogorivka, told AFP that he was shocked when his wife came to tell him that Putin had recognised the two Russian-backed separatist enclaves.

“She said: ‘Have you heard the news?’. How could I have known? There’s no electricity, never mind internet. I don’t know what is going to happen next, but to be honest, I’m afraid,” he said.

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In a Russian village around 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the border, AFP reporters saw military equipment including rocket launchers, howitzers and fuel tanks mounted on trains stretching for hundreds of metres.

Russia has long demanded that Ukraine be forbidden from ever joining the NATO alliance and that US troops pull out from Eastern Europe.

Speaking to journalists, Putin on Tuesday set out a number of stringent conditions if the West wanted to de-escalate the crisis, saying Ukraine should drop its NATO ambition and become neutral.

Washington Wednesday announced sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which Germany had earlier effectively suspended by halting certification.

Australia, Britain, Japan and the European Union have all also announced sanctions.

 

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