Live

Highlights on Off The Ball

02:00 PM-06:00 PM

Highlights on Off The Ball
Advertisement
Soccer

'I can't see how the club can survive' | Philippe Auclair on Chelsea

Football expert Philippe Auclair believes Chelsea Football Club cannot survive following UK sanct...



'I can't see how the club can...
Soccer

'I can't see how the club can survive' | Philippe Auclair on Chelsea

Football expert Philippe Auclair believes Chelsea Football Club cannot survive following UK sanctions on owner Roman Abramovich.

Roman Abramovich was sanctioned on Thursday morning as part of attempts to crack down on wealthy Russians with assets in the UK.

Last week, Abramovich announced that he intends to sell the club after almost 20 years of ownership and pledged that net proceeds from the sale would be donated to "all victims of the war in Ukraine."

Speaking to OTB Sports on Thursday evening, Auclair stated the situation is dire for the London club.

"I'm still waiting to see how this will pan," claimed Auclair. "This could spell the end for the club.

"Given the level of debt to Roman Abramovich. Given that the club can only function thanks to the owner's investment over the past 20 years. This is part of the problem.

"I can't see how the club can survive; I really can't."

The Frenchman does not know whether Chelsea can be saved, given precedent from other clubs who have come into financial trouble.

"Generosity has not been given to other clubs like Portsmouth and Bury. The Chelsea support is huge. I know people who have been there since before Roman Abramovich, and I hope they will be there after him.

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel celebrates with the trophy after the UEFA Champions League final match held at Estadio do Dragao in Porto, Portugal. Picture date: Saturday May 29, 2021.

"They won 19 trophies. Nobody in their right mind would want their club to end like this.

"Do we want the fans punished? Absolutely not. At the end moment, the situation is so fluid.

"There is no way Chelsea football club can survive. There might be a way out if Abramovich decides to walk away. It would be a loss of nationalisation if it happens.

"It would still leave him with a fortune of 7 billion; it's not exactly something to cry about. If he cares about the club, why wouldn't he do that?

Football on Off The Ball brought to you by Sky. All the football you love in one place across Sky Sports, BT Sport & Premier Sports.

Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!

Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.


Read more about

Chelsea Football Philippe Auclair Roman Abramovich Soccer The Football Show Thomas Tuchel

Live: Title

Description

Added to queue
Removed from queue

On Air

Share

Share

Next up in queue

Title
Description
Duration

There are currently no podcasts in the queue

Go to podcasts

On Air

Highlights on Off The Ball

Highlights on Off The Ball

02:00 PM-06:00 PM

Share

Up next

OTB Gold

OTB Gold

06:00 PM-07:00 PM

Share

LIVE: Newsround

LIVE: Newsround

07:00 PM-07:30 PM

Share

LIVE: Off The Ball

LIVE: Off The Ball

07:30 PM-09:00 PM

Share

LIVE: The Football Show

LIVE: The Football Show

09:00 PM-10:00 PM

Share

Repeat: Off The Ball

Repeat: Off The Ball

10:00 PM-12:00 AM

Share

Repeat: OTB AM

Repeat: OTB AM

12:00 AM-02:00 AM

Share

Repeat: Off The Ball

Repeat: Off The Ball

02:00 AM-05:00 AM

Share

Repeat: OTB AM

Repeat: OTB AM

05:00 AM-07:00 AM

Share

Highlights on Off The Ball

Highlights on Off The Ball

07:00 AM-07:30 AM

Share

LIVE: OTB AM

LIVE: OTB AM

07:30 AM-10:00 AM

Share

Repeat: OTB AM

Repeat: OTB AM

10:00 AM-12:00 PM

Share

Highlights on Off The Ball

Highlights on Off The Ball

12:00 PM-01:00 PM

Share

OTB Gold

OTB Gold

01:00 PM-02:00 PM

Share

Highlights on Off The Ball

Highlights on Off The Ball

02:00 PM-05:00 PM

Share

LIVE: Wednesday Night Rugby

LIVE: Wednesday Night Rugby

05:00 PM-06:00 PM

Share

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

Share on