Meanwhile, in order for it to take place, the consent of the European Commission is also required.
The British government has decided to approve a deal to acquire the London football club Chelsea by a consortium of investors led by American businessman Todd Boely from Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, who fell under British sanctions. This information is provided by the Financial Times newspaper, citing sources in the country’s power structures.
Meanwhile, according to the interlocutors of the newspaper, the deal still cannot be completed, since it was not approved by the European Commission, as well as the authorities of Portugal, whose citizenship Abramovich has.
As it became known earlier this month, a group of businessmen led by Todd Boely, his company Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Hansjorg Wyss reached an agreement to acquire Chelsea for 4.25 billion pounds (5.2 billion dollars). Of this amount, 2.5 billion pounds sterling should be used to purchase shares in the club, and 1.75 billion pounds the new owners have pledged to invest in the development of the club.
When considering the approval of the deal, the main requirement of the UK authorities was that neither Abramovich himself nor his affiliates should receive income from the sale of Chelsea. London decided that these funds should be directed to a fund to help victims of the conflict in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Abramovich’s representatives and the British authorities have recently tried to resolve the issue with the club’s debt to his company Camberley International Investments.
Recall that many countries imposed sanctions on Abramovich in connection with military operations on the territory of Ukraine, after which he put Chelsea up for sale, giving all control over the deal to the British government.
