Former Chelsea star John Terry is today facing a furious backlash after sharing a throwback picture of him with under-fire Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
The ex-England captain today declared the billionaire Chelsea boss ‘the best owner in the world’ in a Tweet accompanied by an image of the pair holding up the Premier League trophy.
Terry, 41, posted the image hours after the Russian-Israeli billionaire announced his intention to sell the west London club following criticism of his alleged links to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The announcement came after growing calls for Abramovich and other Russian oligarchs to face sanctions in the UK following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Abramovich, who has yet to directly criticise Putin’s invasion, but who reportedly attempted to act as a broker in peace talks between the two sides, vehemently denies he is close to the Kremlin or has done anything that would merit sanctions being imposed against him.
Today, as the sanctions debate raged on, Terry posted his support for Abramovic in a Twitter post.
The Tweet, which included an image of him and Abramovic celebrating Chelsea’s 2017 Premier League win, was accompanied by the caption: ‘The Best’, three blue love hearts and Chelsea FC.
But the message of support has been widely slammed on social media, with some Twitter users describing the post as ‘tone deaf’.
Terry, 41, posted the image hours after the Russian-Israeli billionaire announced his intention to sell the west London club following criticism of his alleged links to Russian President Vladimir Putin
The message of support has been widely slammed on social media, with some Twitter users describing the post as ‘tone deaf’
Terry also faced criticism from Labour MP Chris Bryant, who has been one of the most vocal advocates of sanctions against Russian oligarchs since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine
Abramovich (pictured here with Vladimir Putin in 2005, while he was governor of the Cukotka region), has yet to criticise Putin’s invasion. He vehemently denies he is close to the Kremlin or has done anything that would merit sanctions being imposed against him
Terry also faced criticism from Labour MP Chris Bryant, who has been one of the most vocal advocates of sanctions against Russian oligarchs since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
He said: ‘I think John Terry you should take this down ASAP. The people of Ukraine are being bombed, shelled and murdered while you celebrate Abramovich.’
Other criticism of the post came from Welsh Labour MP Chris Elmore. He wrote: ‘No self awareness and a painful reminder of the problem.’
FT journalist Chris Cook wrote: ‘As if Abramovich didn’t have enough PR problems, he’s now getting compliments from John Terry.’
Reporter Luke Hanrahan, who describes himself as a fan of Everton, who have also faced criticism over links to Russian sponsorship, added: ‘I’m not at all surprised John Terry tweeted this.’
Adored by Chelsea fans as a Stamford Bridge legend but widely criticised by supporters of other clubs, Terry has been a controversial figure in English football.
The defender, regarded as one of the best in Premier League history, won five league titles and a Champions League following Abramovich’s buy-out of the club in 2003.
Terry also collected 78 England caps, and captained the national side. But, in a stellar yet controversial 20-year professional career, he was twice stripped of the captaincy.
The first time was for an alleged affair with the ex-partner of teammate Wayne Bridge, and the second time for allegedly racially abusing QPR player Anton Ferdinand.
Terry denied using racist language and was cleared in a criminal trial, but was banned for four games and fined £220,000 after being found guilty in an FA hearing.
The defender was a key part of Chelsea’s success during the Abramovich era and has regularly praised the businessman for his role in making Chelsea a global powerhouse in the footballing world.
But yesterday it appeared that Abramovich’s reign would come to an end, with him announcing his intention to sell the club.
Last night he sensationally confirmed that Chelsea is up for sale, and reportedly slapped a £3billion asking price on the London club while also writing off the £1.5billion debt he is owed from it.
In a surprise development just after 6pm, Russian Abramovich broke his silence to confirm he is in the process of selling Chelsea FC – with proceeds of the prospective sale to be donated to the victims of war in Ukraine.
MailOnline reported on Wednesday morning that the club had been put on the market, with a view to recouping at least £3billion, as Abramovich seeks to distance himself from Russian President Vladimir Putin and sanctions imposed on Russia by the west over its devastating and illegal invasion of Ukraine.
In a statement, Abramovich confirmed: ‘I would like to address the speculation in media over the past few days in relation to my ownership of Chelsea FC.
‘As I have stated before, I have always taken decisions with the Club’s best interest at heart. In the current situation, I have therefore taken the decision to sell the Club, as I believe this is in the best interest of the Club, the fans, the employees, as well as the Club’s sponsors and partners.’
Roman Abramovich last night announced he would donate all net proceeds from the sale to victims of the war in Ukraine, while confirming he would not ask for a £1.5billions loan he made to the club to be repaid
Abramovich is worth 10.4bn ($12.5bn), according to Forbes, and owns a £150m Kensington mansion, a £22m penthouse, and more than £1.2bn of yachts, private jets, helicopters and supercars based in Britain and around the world
Abramovich said he will not be asking to be repaid £1.5billion in loans he has granted the club during 19 years of injecting cash to elevate the team into one of the most successful in Europe. ‘The sale of the Club will not be fast-tracked but will follow due process. I will not be asking for any loans to be repaid,’ he said.
‘This has never been about business nor money for me, but about pure passion for the game and Club. Moreover, I have instructed my team to set up a charitable foundation where all net proceeds from the sale will be donated.
‘The foundation will be for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine. This includes providing critical funds towards the urgent and immediate needs of victims, as well as supporting the long-term work of recovery.’
The speed of Abramovich’s pending exit from Chelsea is striking as he was trying to instigate a plan this past weekend to relinquish some control in order to keep the club under his ownership.
But as Russia’s war on Ukraine entered a seventh day, pressure was growing on the British government to include him among the wealthy Russians to be targeted in sanctions.
Earlier, it was reported that the billionaire had already begun a ‘fire sale’ of his sprawling London portfolio as he tries to offload Chelsea for £3billion and £200million worth of properties – with an MP claiming the Russian billionaire is acting quickly to stop his assets being frozen.
Labour’s Chris Bryant, using parliamentary privilege to avoid legal action, alleged the tycoon is selling his home and an apartment because he is ‘terrified of being sanctioned’, adding that he feared the government will soon run out of time to act.
Abramovich is worth £10.4bn ($12.5bn), according to Forbes, and owns a £150m Kensington mansion, a £22m penthouse, and more than £1.2bn of yachts, private jets, helicopters and supercars in Britain and globally.
Chelsea FC is his most valuable British asset, after the oligarch transformed its fortunes from outside challengers to Premier League giants with the help of Jose Mourinho and huge signings like Didier Drogba, so its sale will be a personal blow to the billionaire industrialist.
