The manager of Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel has urged reporters to stop asking him about the ongoing war in Ukraine and the club’s owner Roman Abramovich.
Thomas Tuchel who is currently preparing his team for the 5th round of the FA Cup against Championship side Luton Town on Wednesday, March 2, said he has never experienced war, hance, he is not in the best position to talk about it.
Tuchel who described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “horrible” stressed that he is not a politician to keep talking about what is happening between Russia and Ukraine.
The German coach said: “You have to stop, I am not a politician. I can only repeat myself, and I feel bad to repeat it as I never experienced war. So even to talk about it, I feel bad.
“I’m very privileged as I sit here in peace. I do the best I can but you have to stop asking me these questions as I have no answers for you.”
Thomas Tuchel has finally snapped and rightfully so.
— TLV (@TheIampardView) March 1, 2022
My f*cking manager 💙pic.twitter.com/5KKG7f3AA7
Recall that since February 24, when President Putin ordered the Russian military to invade Ukraine, the world’s attention has been on Russia and everything connected to the country.
Based on that, Chelsea football club has been under pressure because it is owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. Due to the pressure the club has been facing, Abramovich had to transfer the control of the club to the club’s charity foundation board on Saturday, February 26, 2022.
Despite such a decision, Chelsea has continued to be under the bad light of those who do not like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Thomas Tuchel reveals that things are still the same at Chelsea even though Roman Abramovich is no longer in control of the club
Before coach Thomas Tuchel urged reporters to stop asking him about the war between Russia and Ukraine, he revealed that though the club’s owner, Roman Abramovich has handed over the control of the club to the club’s charity foundation board, things are still the same at the club.
The German tactician who has been in charge of Chelsea’s senior team since 2021 stressed that long before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he has been reporting to the club’s director Marina Granovskaia and technical and performance advisor Petr Cech.
Ahead of Chelsea’s FA Cup game against Luton Town scheduled to kick off at 20:15 on Wednesday, coach Tuchel stressed that Abramovich’s role at the club does not influence his job as a coach.
“For me as a coach and in charge of the first team, the position doesn’t change too much in the daily business”, Tuchel said.
“I have daily exchanges with Marina and Petr Cech about how to improve the first team and this won’t stop because they stay in charge. It doesn’t affect what I do daily.”
On whether Abramovich’s ownership of Chelsea is a problem, Tuchel said: “It’s a bit too much for me to answer. I’m not aware of any details and I’m not aware of the whole situation. We all agree there are situations much more important than football.
“This will never change. Situations like war are of course so much more important but it’s not for me to comment on the situation with Abramovich. I don’t know enough about it.”
Chelsea are trying to be calm in the center of a storm
Less than a day after Chelsea’s owner, Roman Abramovich announced that he has handed over the running of the club to the club’s charity foundation board, Chelsea lost the Carabao Cup final to Liverpool on penalties.
Amid that, the club is striving to finish in the top four on the Premier League table where they are currently occupying the 3rd spot with 50 points in 25 games.
Also, they are battling to defend the UEFA Champions League title they won last year. They are currently in the round of 16 stage of the competition. Recall that Chelsea beat Lille 2-0 in the first leg of the round. The second leg will take place on March 16, 2022, at 21:00.
Hence, ahead of Chelsea’s FA Cup game against Luton, coach Thomas Tuchel admitted that Chelsea are trying to be calm in the center of a storm.
The coach said: “We try to be calm here and we are calm in the center of a storm or of some noise around us that we cannot control and we are also not responsible for it. It’s best to stay calm, focus on what we love and what we do. This is sport. We have a right to focus on sport and the players have a right to be focused. This is what we can tell the fans and this is what they saw on Sunday.
“There is a lot of commitment from the players and the fans but everyone is aware there are more important things. The situation in Ukraine is much more important than football and yet still there was a full stadium at Wembley and two strong teams who played a fantastic match. We can distract the fans and entertain them, and I don’t see any other solution.”
🗣️ "We all agree there are situations that are much, much more important than football"
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 1, 2022
Thomas Tuchel answers questions about Roman Abramovich 👇 pic.twitter.com/pEuu5MnpWg
