Anxious Chelsea fans look forward to a brighter future
Chelsea fans are concerned about the future of the Premier League club without Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich, but they are confident her team will continue to succeed on the pitch.
And the fans, who went to support their team against Norwich City, bottom of the standings, yesterday evening tried to absorb the previous news that the British government had imposed sanctions on Abramovich in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The move halted Abramovich's attempts to sell the club, but Chelsea fans who attended the victory at Carrow Road hope the ownership issue will be resolved soon.
"I think in two to four weeks someone will buy the club," Bradley Cousins said.
The Russian businessman bought the club in 2003 for 140 million pounds ($183 million), and his investments have since resulted in the most successful era in its 117-year history.
Under Abramovich's leadership, Chelsea won the English Premier League five times and the FA Cup, in addition to the European Champions League title on two occasions.
"Certainly what is happening in Ukraine is not good, but I wonder why Chelsea fans should be punished? But I saw Chelsea win everything so I think I'm fine," added Cousins, 26.
He continued, "I went to Abu Dhabi to watch our victory in the Club World Cup (last month). I spent wonderful years supporting Chelsea."
As fans of the European champions gathered outside Norwich before the match, singing "we won it all", one Chelsea fan said she was "a bit emotional" after the turmoil of the past few weeks.
When asked what kind of owner she would like, Debbie replied: "A really rich person who loves Chelsea. From what I've read, the sale could be carried out if approved by the government."
Lu Quan, who comes from China and lives in London, wants "an owner who cares about the club like Abramovich. Given the current situation, it would be better for him to leave, but he has done a lot for the club and we are very grateful to him."
He added that he was concerned that he would not be able to watch the squad because only those who had already purchased tickets or who had season tickets would be allowed to attend matches while Chelsea operated under a special government license.
"As fans, we're banned from buying new tickets and I don't have season tickets, so that's the thing that bothers me the most. I can probably go to two more home games this season," Lu said.
Fans were also concerned that the club might not be able to sign new players or receive money to sell existing players.
"There are players whose contracts will expire soon, so I think they will leave and this is disappointing," Deby added.
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