Micah Richards slams Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich’s ‘poor’ statement after Russian gives up control of club

MICAH Richards last night slammed Roman Abramovich’s “poor” Chelsea statement – declaring the message was “almost written in code”.

Russian Blues owner Abramovich sensationally gave up control of the Premier League club on Saturday following his country’s invasion of Ukraine.

He released a brief statement on Chelsea’s website, vowing to hand over the reigns to trustees of the club’s charitable Foundation.

But ex England defender Richards said the message was “almost written in code” – leaving “so many questions” for fans.

Discussing the statement from the Sky Sports studio, he said: “We need more than that don’t we?

“After the last couple of days and just say you’re handing it over to charity, I think it’s poor.

“There’s so many questions to be asked, to come out with a statement just like that. What does it even mean?

“It’s almost written in code, we don’t want to tell you what’s happening, here you go read this and pick the bones and figure out what it means.”

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The six new rulers of the Stamford Bridge club are chairman Bruce Buck , Blues’ women’s boss Emma Hayes, head of the National Lottery Sir Hugh Robertson and Piara Powar.

Lawyer John Devine and Paul Ramos, director of finance, make up the six new trustees.

Abramovich said in his statement: “During my nearly 20-year ownership of Chelsea FC, I have always viewed my role as a custodian of the Club, whose job it is ensuring that we are as successful as we can be today, as well as build for the future, while also playing a positive role in our communities.

“I have always taken decisions with the Club’s best interest at heart. I remain committed to these values.

“That is why I am today giving trustees of Chelsea’s charitable Foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea FC.

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“I believe that currently they are in the best position to look after the interests of the Club, players, staff, and fans.”

Abramovich remains the club’s owner and can still invest money into the club.

The decision is understood to be an attempt to distance the club from the controversy surround him.

Earlier this week Labour MP Chris Bryant stated Russian billionaire Abramovich should be barred from owning the club.

There were concerns over his links to “corrupt activity and practices”.

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There was no mention of the war in Ukraine in the statement.

It is not known whether he will officially sell the club, with KPMG valuing the Blues at £1.6billion.

He has never given any indication that he would sell the Premier League giants prior to the statement being released.

The Telegraph report that Chelsea insist the club is not for sale.

They add that the decision from Abramovich has not been made in an attempt to avoid sanctions.

And although some Russian oligarchs are having their assets frozen by the British government due to events in Ukraine, Abramovich has not been sanctioned.

If he did face similar penalties that would prevent a takeover of Chelsea as Abramovich would not be able to sell an asset he owns.

Even if sanctions were placed on the 55-year-old, legal experts believe that the government would agree an official “carve out” of Chelsea from any prospective actions to avoid significant impact on the club.

Regardless, sources close to Abramovich insist he has done nothing that would make him liable to sanctions.

On Friday, his daughter Sofia shared an anti-Vladimir Putin meme on social media.

And Boris Johnson last night vowed to “tighten the ligature” around Vladimir Putin’s regime.

It came as French authorities managed to seize a Russian cargo ship in the English Channel.

The 416ft boat belongs to one of the 100 Russian companies which were this week hit by EU sanctions – and is thought to be the first Russian asset seized.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk