Russian Oligarch Owner Of Chelsea Football Club Wants To Be Israeli Citizen
Roman Abramovich Image by Wikimedia Commons
The billionaire owner of soccer team Chelsea FC, Roman Abramovich, will become an Israeli citizen on Thursday, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Abramovich, who is Russian, has been living in the United Kingdom on a recently expired visa— allegedly a possible cause of his move to Israel. Reportedly, authorities would not renew his work visa, as tensions rose between Russia and the UK following a Russian intelligence officer who acted as a double agent for UK’s intelligence services being poisoned.
The businessman acquired the Chelsea club in 2003. He recently headed the team’s “Say No To Antisemitism” campaign and has been known to financially support Israel over the past two decades, including a $30 million donation to Tel Aviv University in 2015.
Contact Haley Cohen at hcohen@forward.com
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