The Russian businessman and former owner of the English football club Chelsea, Roman Abramovich, has refused to sign an agreement on the transfer of funds from the sale of the club to Ukraine, the British media said.
The agreement is derived from a license issued last May by the British government, which allowed Abramovich to sell the team he owned in light of the businessman being put on the UK sanctions list last March over the Ukraine crisis and the subsequent freezing of his assets in Great Britain.
According to the rules of the deal, the 4.25 billion pounds frozen for the sale last May of Chelsea to a consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehley allows it to be used exclusively for Ukrainian humanitarian purposes, the media noted.
The British authorities reportedly hope that the money will be transferred to Ukraine before winter.
"It was hoped the money was going to be transferred last summer, then we hoped for developments in January," the source told media. "Now we hope money will start arriving in Ukraine before harsh winter conditions set in again towards the end of the year, but there are currently no guarantees that will happen."
Abramovich purchased Chelsea in 2003 for about 140 million pounds (about $233 million at the exchange rate at the time) from Englishman Ken Bates.
While owned by the Russian businessman, the club took home an English championship five times, winning the FA Cup three times. In 2021, Chelsea won the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup.