Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has warned the UK government that he will legally challenge any attempt to seize the £2.35–2.5 billion from the sale of Chelsea Football Club.
His lawyers insist the money, held by his company Fordstam Ltd, still belongs to him and any government move to claim it will be contested in court.
The dispute comes years after Abramovich sold Chelsea in 2022, following UK sanctions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At the time, he pledged the funds for humanitarian aid in Ukraine, but the money has remained frozen in UK banks, causing tension with British officials.
Abramovich’s legal team claims that delays in releasing the funds are due to government bureaucracy, not their client, and they are ready to fight Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other UK authorities if needed.
UK officials have been pressuring Abramovich to honour his original pledge and release the funds to help war victims, but the billionaire remains firm that any transfer must follow legal ownership rules. The situation has created a high-stakes standoff between one of football’s richest owners and the British government.
Analysts say this legal battle could drag on for months and represents a broader conflict over frozen Russian assets in the UK since the war in Ukraine began.
