$3.1 Billion Soccer Team, Previous Owned by Russian Billionaire, Indirectly Donates $25 Million to Ukraine Amid Conflict

Chelsea FC is one of the most valuable soccer teams in the world, with a worth of over $3 billion. The club was previously owned by a Russian billionaire. And now the club has indirectly donated $25 million to Ukraine amid conflict with their latest transfer move.

Chelsea recently made the signing of 22-year-old Ukrainian forward Mykhaylo Mudryk from FC Shakhtar Donetsk. Shakhtar Donetsk is the most popular and biggest soccer club in Ukraine. Rival club Arsenal was also interested in signing the star but in the end, Chelsea got him for around $96 million.

Chelsea’s indirect involvement in the $25 million donation

The owner of Shakhtar Donetsk, Rinat Akhmetov, has announced that $25 million from this transfer fee that they have received from Chelsea will be donated to help Ukrainian soldiers and their families.

Akhmetov released a statement saying, “I am allocating $25 million today to help our soldiers, defenders, and their families.” He further added, “The money will be used to cover different needs – from providing medical and prosthetic treatment and psychological support to meeting specific requests.”

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“To ensure transparency, the project will have a professional independent team that will be in touch with the Azovstal defenders, their families, care providers, and volunteers”. This really is a very nice gesture from Akhmetov to help the country in the ongoing war with Russia. And Both parties involved in the transfer deserve credit for making this donation possible.

Chelsea soccer club’s previous Russian owner

In 2003, Chelsea FC was bought by a Russian billionaire named Roman Abramovich. And over the next few years, it became clear that Abramovich was committed to making Chelsea one of the most successful clubs in the Premier League. He poured millions of pounds into the club, signing world-class players and hiring top managers.

However, in 2022, the UK government forced Abramovich to sell Chelsea FC. After he was deemed to have close relationships with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Following the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. And in June of 2022, the club was sold to Los Angeles Lakers owner, Tod Boehly.

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What are your thoughts on this transfer and donation? Let us know in the comments.