Gary Neville has reassured Chelsea fans that the club will be “okay” having been put up for sale by Roman Abramovich as he called for the Premier League to “shape up” around growing issues surrounding club ownership.
After days of intense speculation and developments, Abramovich announced last night that he was selling Chelsea after almost 20 years, writing off £1.5billion worth of loans in the process and pledging to donate the net proceeds from the sale to a new charitable foundation he will launch to help benefit all victims of the war in Ukraine.
Reports suggest that Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss is working alongside American billionaire Todd Boehly in a joint-bid to buy Chelsea, with Abramovich expected to receive offers this week.
Addressing the saga on Sky Sports on Thursday morning, Manchester United legend and prominent pundit Gary Neville praised Abramovich’s impact at Stamford Bridge.
“They will have a lot of affinity, Chelsea fans for Roman Abramovich - and rightly so,” Neville said. “I think I’ve had most of them on my timeline in the last couple of days since I gave him a hard time over his charity trustee comments on Sunday at the [Carabao Cup] final.
“But the reality of it is, Chelsea will be okay. Irrespective of whether you like the idea of Russian money coming into English football or not, Roman Abramovich has been a very good owner for Chelsea. There have been worse owners who are English.
“We’ve got an issue in football around ownership generally, not just with international ownership or ownership coming from money that we might not like.
“Football is on the brink here. It has been for a few years now and that’s why I have called for an independent regulator. I’m not against Saudi Arabian money coming into Newcastle, and I know Newcastle fans have welcomed that money coming in to transform their football club because they had in their mind, and they were right, a very poor English owner.
“However, what I believe should be at least the right of all football fans in this country, including Newcastle fans, is what was the criteria that the Saudi Arabians had to, if you like, get through to be accepted into English football? Where was the independence, where’s the transparency?
“The Premier League at this moment in time is a closed shop around these matters and it’s just not good enough. It’s coming hurtling at them like you would not believe, because they cannot separate sport and these societal and political issues any more.
“They are going to have to stand up and accept that whilst they don’t believe they are a public body, and they are not in essence because they are a private company, they are owned by the 20 clubs, that ultimately they are going to be viewed like that and they are going to have to act and behave in that manner.
“It’s coming towards them very quickly. They have to shape up. I know they are sort of if you like turning a blind eye to the fan-led review that’s just come out, but they are going to have to step up to the plate soon the Premier League, because these issues are encircling them week by week, month by month, year by year. And this is just another one this week with Roman Abramovich.”
