Former Chelsea owner Ken Bates slams sanctions imposed on the club

Ken Bates has never been one to mince words and the former Chelsea owner is forthright in his condemnation of the Government sanctions imposed on the club.

While the outspoken former football executive agrees with the decision to freeze the most famous of Roman Abramovich’s assets, Bates is furious that Chelsea fans and staff have been forced to suffer too, with tickets sales frozen, club facilities shut and jobs said to be at risk.

He cannot fathom what meaningful impact such measures could exert on Vladimir Putin and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. ‘The fact that you can’t buy a Chelsea match programme must mean that Putin is s*****g himself and all the ordinary people of Moscow are hiding in their cellars because they can’t see a Chelsea match on TV,’ Bates said, speaking from his home in Monte Carlo.

‘As usual it is the ordinary people who are suffering. You’ve probably got people working at Chelsea saying do they have a job? What is their future? Do they have security? And fans at Chelsea. What have they got to do with Putin bombing maternity hospitals in Ukraine?

‘That is hurting ordinary, English citizens. Makes no difference at all to Russia. It makes the Civil Service a laughing stock of the world. I’ve dealt with civil servants most of my life and, by and large, they’re all bloody useless.

‘Abramovich turned around and said, “I’m going sell the club and whatever I get I’m going to give to charity.” They [the Government] have taken over the club. Fine. Why didn’t they appoint an administrator and get on with it?

‘Instead we’ve got all these regulations, which just get some good headlines. “England takes firm action against Russia.” If we are trying to help Ukraine we should be doing things that are meaningful.’

Bates famously bought Chelsea for a £1 in 1982 before selling to Abramovich 19 years later in a deal reported to be worth around £140million.

Abramovich had grown rich after acquiring state-owned assets following the break-up of the Soviet Union and was close to Putin, then serving his first term as president, but the source of his wealth was scarcely investigated in the UK at the time.

Bates has no sympathy for Roman Abramovich who he sold Chelsea to 19 years ago

Bates though feels the sanctions are hurting Chelsea’s fans and their members of staff

‘Selling it to a Russian was the same as selling to anybody else,’ Bates says. ‘It was no different in those days. The dealings I had with him were always straightforward and simple.’

What is his response to the oligarch’s asset-freeze? ‘I don’t feel sympathy for him. Why should I? He’s worth £7-8billion. But he can only eat steak and chips twice a day, same as me. When he goes to his grave, his shroud won’t have any pockets in it.’

The Government has said it will allow the club to be sold despite the sanctions on Abramovich. Potential bidders who want to expand Stamford Bridge will run into the same problem that the current owner has faced.

The brainchild of Bates during his time in charge, the Chelsea Pitch Owners group own the leasehold to Stamford Bridge and the club name, giving them the power of veto on any proposed venue move.

The Government will allow for Chelsea to be sold despite sanctions on Abramovich

Bates is proud that he empowered the fans with an idea inspired by an enterprising Irishman he had heard about. ‘The Irish are all over the world and they get sentimental about the “old sod”. This guy bought four acres of land north of Dublin. Sold it off in square foot pieces. 100 quid each or whatever. Then he went around the world, saying have a piece of the old sod.

‘I thought what a bloody clever idea. I’ll do the same with Chelsea. But the lawyer rang me up and said Ken if you do that you’re trading in land. You’ll probably get charged VAT. And you’ve got to pay registration.

‘So then I came up with the idea of forming a company, the Chelsea pitch owners. I gave them a 999-year lease on the pitch. And I made a rule no matter how many shares you own you only have one vote.

‘I also gave them the name Chelsea Football Club and I said you can only use that name if you play at Stamford Bridge. So the fans own the name and the pitch. Stamford Bridge is probably the most valuable piece of land in London. But it belongs to the club. That’s my legacy.’