A consortium led by Todd Boehly, co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, has agreed to buy the club from Roman Abramovich for £4.25 billion. The Premier League and the UK government must both approve the contract.
Buck, 76, will be joined on the board by Boehly, alongside non-executive directors Daniel Finkelstein and public relations executive Barbara Charone. It’s unclear whether Marina Granovskaia, the director, will join them, but she was a crucial transfer and contract negotiator during Abramovich’s rule.
She would bring stability after Chelsea was unable to conduct business due to fines imposed on the club. According to reports, British businessman Jonathan Goldstein, who is also a member of the consortium, would not be on the board of directors.
Boehly has a tight relationship with Goldstein, the CEO of a real estate investment firm. However, insiders say he would prefer a lower-profile role because some Tottenham supporters are against his engagement. Meanwhile, the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust (CST) is requesting that the government change the club’s operating license so that tickets for the Blues’ final two Premier League home games against Leicester and Watford can be sold.
Following modifications to the government’s operating licence since Abramovich’s sanction, tickets for Champions League and FA Cup games, including Saturday’s final at Wembley, are now available for purchase. However, no funds have been allowed to enter the club, and only season-ticket holders have been permitted to watch Premier League games at Stamford Bridge.
“The logic of prohibiting Chelsea members from obtaining tickets for home Premier League games becomes even more dubious,” CST wrote now that terms for Boehly’s consortium to buy Chelsea had been agreed. In a statement, the company added: “Allowing FA Cup and Champions League ticket sales but not Premier League tickets was an unreasonable decision that discouraged committed supporters from attending league home games.
“In light of the significant change in circumstances reflected in the ownership announcement, the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust board calls on the department of culture, media, and sport to amend the “special licence” immediately, and for Chelsea to sell tickets to members for the club’s final two home games this season. We must not punish supporters.”
