Chelsea has operated with very limited opportunities since Thursday. All because of the sanctions that the British government imposed on the club’s owner – Roman Abramowicz. As a result, Chelsea cannot, inter alia, negotiate expiring contracts for players and players and sell tickets for matches, and the first team’s budget for away games has been severely cut. The situation is all the more difficult as the club’s credit cards have been temporarily blocked.
The sanctions hit the club hard, but significantly accelerated the sales process, which was announced by Abramowicz more than two weeks ago. The most serious candidates to acquire Chelsea include the American-Swiss multi-billionaires duo Todd Boehly – Hansjorg Wyss, Turkish businessman Muhsin Bayrak, British developer and club fan Nick Candy, American co-owner of the Chicago Cubs baseball club Thomas Ricketts or his compatriot, the owner of the football club New York Jets, Woody Johnson.
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The Saudis want to take over Chelsea
Raine Group – the bank that will sell the club – on Saturday sent a message to potential buyers, in which it informed that the sanctions imposed will not affect the transactions. British media even cite one of the Raine Group employees, who argued that Chelsea could be sold even by the beginning of April.
On Monday, the Saudi joint-stock company Saudi Research and Media Group officially entered the fight for the club. British media reported that the offer made by the Saudis is worth £ 2.7 billion. Chelsea is expected to be ruled by Mohamed Alkhereiji, who has been a Chelsea supporter for years and has been to the Stamford Bridge many times in the past.
Interestingly, the acquisition of the Saudi Research and Media Group is supported by Mohammed bin Khalid Al Saud, the president of the Saudi telecommunications service provider – Saudi Telecom Company. This company is owned by Saudi Arabia and owned by the Public Investment Fund, which Newcastle United recently owns.
The club was taken over by the Saudis from Mike Ashley in November last year. The process was very long, however, because both the British government and other Premier League clubs refused to agree to the transaction. All because of the widespread violations of human rights in Saudi Arabia. The country is accused of, inter alia, for violation of freedom of speech, non-observance of women’s rights, execution of the death penalty on political prisoners, lack of a full democratic system, lack of religious freedom, discrimination against homosexuals and the abuse of prisoners.
The American portal NBC News reported that only on Saturday, 81 death sentences were carried out in Saudi Arabia for murder or belonging to militant groups. It is the largest mass execution carried out in the modern history of this country.
While Saudi Research and Media Group financially beats its rivals in the fight for Chelsea, its takeover may prove impossible for this reason. The club needs to be taken over very quickly so that its financial liquidity is not disturbed, and the admission of another Saudi company to the Premier League may turn out to be a long process. Well, unless the decision-makers, including the British government, once again apply different standards.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
