Telegraph Chief sports reporter, Jeremy Wilson and
chief football writer Sam Wallace. The trustees of
Chelsea's charitable Foundation. Have according to
this report, not yet agreed to Roman abramovich's idea to hand
them stewardship of the club, and only learnt of this
dramatic plan, yesterday on Saturday, according to
Sam Wallace and Jeremy Wilson.
The trustee said that, they have major unanswered questions
and are still considering the request. So your Remember that
yesterday afternoon during the Everton man? City game
and announcement made a statement. A rare statement
from Roman about Abramovich saying he was handing over
the stewardship and care to the trustees of Chelsea's
charitable Foundation. Well,
according to this report, the trustees currently have no idea.
Whether Abramovich might also be about to be sanctioned by
the British government and the nature of any sanctions. It is
understood that there have been conversations between trustees
since Saturday's announcement and lawyers, who are now
working on proposals for a potential structure. That could
be put.
Before the trustees and we just put you in the picture of who
the trustees are Bruce Buck. The club chairman is heading up
this charitable Foundation, which of course, normally does,
Grassroots football and local community work. The manager of
Chelsea women's team. Emma. Hayes is a
trustee the executive director of the anti-discrimination
group Fair. PR, a power is a trustee and the chairman of
the boa, the British Olympic Association. So Hugh, Robertson
plus two other men, Paul
Ramos and John Devine,
Tim Howard. This is this is getting worse for Chelsea. Am
I right?
Messi is the word that comes to mind.
They kick off in a cup final in 10 minutes and this comes out.
It doesn't surprise me because
that statement comes 24 hours after that that's time that
the trustees needed to digest this information because what
I assume and read is
Roman Abramovich. Made this decision, he's the owner.
He talks to his chairman Bruce Buck who
of the Chelsea Foundation, gives them the information
and then Bruce block has to tell all the other trustees
there wasn't any time for them to digest what they were
getting into. As you mentioned. This is not What they signed up
for,
they signed up for charitable initiatives and Grassroots
football. This is a whole different ball game. So, of
course, they had to take a minute step back and assess
what was going on it. So I'm not surprised to hear this. If
you put yourself in the position of somebody like,
Emma. Hey is a Chelsea. Women's
manager. Here is a massive job
as it is as Tim says, she signs up as well to be part of
the charitable Foundation. Do good work in the community. All of
a sudden, you're the frontwoman
one of the front men women
for a club, which is thrust into a spotlight in the middle
of a European War. You don't want that. Do you
very much is a poison chalice? Rebecca to the point where some
people looking and then we'll have a moral compass and will
say do I really want to be tainted and associated with
this as things stand and so
at the moment we talked about this morning. This thing's got
layers. Another layers just been added and I got a tow this
is getting toxic very quickly. Do you think we're going to see
some resignations from this Board of Trustees? I do because
I think to be a trustee. The foundation that's doing all
the good work that it has done in the past.
What's being offered at? The moment is in complete
contradiction to why you involved in your person that
wants to be part of doing good in and helping communities.
This isn't what Roman Abramovich has handed to at
Wembley Stadium right now. Chelsea against Liverpool
kicking off in 10 minutes, neither team warmed up with any
t-shirts, any flags from Ukraine, which was surprising.
I thought Tim. Did you think after yesterday? We saw
Everton, a man
city, of course. Both of those clubs, have a Ukrainian player,
in their ranks, neither Chelsea, and all of people do.
But surely, we would have seen something. I was anticipating.
We would absolutely see something, certainly from
Liverpool Football Club. If not from both. So it's surprising.
It's unfortunate that there wasn't more support. There are
awesome Ukrainian Flags in the crowd at Wembley. I've had
a little look. So there is some representation as people
continue to support the people
of Ukraine.