The UK government has officially announced the possibility of legal action against Roman Abramovich, the former owner of Chelsea Football Club, with the aim of releasing £2.5 billion from the sale of the club to a US consortium in May 2022. The funds, according to conditions imposed by London, were to be entirely earmarked for humanitarian causes in Ukraine, but are still frozen in a British bank account.

In a joint statement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Foreign Minister David Lammy expressed ‘deep frustration’ at the failure to reach an agreement with the Russian tycoon, stressing that ‘the money must be used to help people suffering in Ukraine as a result of Russia’s illegal invasion’. The government reiterated that, while leaving the door open for negotiations, it is ready to take legal action.

Abramovich, sanctioned in 2022 for his alleged links with Russian President Vladimir Putin, had demanded that the proceeds go to ‘all victims of the conflict’, including Russian civilians. The proposal was rejected. The oligarch, who had acquired Chelsea in 2003 and taken it to the top of European football, had received a special licence from the British government to sell the club on condition that he did not make any personal profit from it.

In the meantime, Abramovich attempted to have the EU sanctions lifted, but in December 2023, the EU Court of Justice rejected his request, ruling that the measures did not disproportionately violate his rights.

However, while the British government threatens legal proceedings against Abramovich, no concrete action seems to have been taken on the much more recent and equally sensitive matter of the sale of Queens Park Rangers Football Club (QPR).

As reported by Agenparl on several occasions, a formal complaint has been filed with Scotland Yard involving serious charges of misrepresentation, contract fraud, embezzlement and breach of fiduciary duty. At the centre of the investigation is the figure of former lawyer Kevin Steel, now known as Kevin MacLeod, who has already been convicted of a multi-million dollar fraud and disbarred by the firm Mishcon de Reya.

Despite the importance and economic value of the operation, which involves a club with its own stadium in central London, to date no official position has been taken by the British government. A silence that contrasts sharply with the activism shown in the Chelsea case.

What are the criteria by which Downing Street decides to act or stand by and watch? One wonders why, when faced with two cases that directly affect the integrity of the English football system and legal transparency, different weights and measures are followed.

It is time for the government to acquire the dossier already submitted to Scotland Yard and shed full light on this matter as well. What are you waiting for? Ah, to know.