Chelsea legend John Terry has launched a scathing attack on the UK government over Roman Abramovich's forced sale of the Blues following Russia's invasion of Ukraine more than three-and-a-half years ago. The Russian businessman purchased Chelsea in 2003 and presided over an incredibly successful era for the West London club.
Boris Johnson's Conservative government sanctioned Abramovich in March 2022, freezing his assets. He subsequently sold the club to a Todd Boehly-led consortium. The sanctions against Abramovich remain active under Sir Keir Starmer's Labour government, with the £2.5billion generated from the club's sale still frozen in a UK bank account.
Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, Terry said: 'I think he's one of the nicest people you could ever meet in your life. I think it's disgusting what happened to him, I really do. I think as a UK government we should be embarrassed by our actions towards him.' Terry highlighted Abramovich's charitable acts during the pandemic, including opening Stamford Bridge to nurses and providing homes.
Terry also praised Abramovich's investment in the club's facilities, noting that he transformed the training ground and funded fan travel to away matches. 'He was invested in you guys as well (the players). He would come to us and go, 'We're paying for supporters to travel to Bolton this weekend because it's after a Champions League game.' That happened quite a bit under Roman,' Terry added.
Abramovich's sale of Chelsea is detailed in a book titled Sanctioned, released earlier this year. In an interview conducted in Dubai, the 59-year-old said: 'Perhaps one day there would be a situation where I could attend a [Chelsea] match and say a proper goodbye, but nothing more than that.'
