Last Saturday, as Burnley staged a minute’s applause for Ukraine, Chelsea fans chanted the name of their departing Russian owner, Roman Abramovich. For the previous 10 days, the news and social media had been flooded with images of the most horrendous suffering from Ukraine, of shattered apartment blocks, bloodied bodies and trains of refugees. But that was not enough: Their own identity mattered more than offering even a minute of empathy to a stricken nation.
This is not a complicated war. There is a clear aggressor. And yet some base instinct kicked in. The owner of Chelsea, the man who has bought them two Champions League titles, five Premier League trophies, five FA Cups and three League Cups, is a Russian oligarch. Russia is fighting Ukraine. Abramovich, at that point, was being forced to sell the club because of the threat of possible sanctions. And so Chelsea fans chanted his name over the applause.
Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel was clearly appalled. “We take the knee together; if a person from our club dies we show respect,” he said. “It’s not a moment to give other messages. We also do this because of what we are as a club. We show respect, and we need our fans to commit to this minute of applause in the moment. We do it for the people of Ukraine, and there is no second opinion about the situation. They have our thoughts and our support and we should stand together as a club.”
