“FC Shakhtar have played in countries across Europe and we look forward to welcoming them to London for their Champions League campaign this year. We will be working with the Shakhtar team closely over the coming weeks to ensure that matchdays run safely and smoothly for their team and supporters,” said Chelsea, formerly owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
It was during Abramovich’s stewardship between 2003 and 2022 that Chelsea rose to become one of the most succesfull clubs in Europe and among the biggest football brands in the world. Chelsea had won the English top flight league title just once in 1954/55 until then but went on to win the Premier League five times. Chelsea also won the Champions League in 2012 and 2021.
Abramovich was hit with sanctions by the UK government following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, triggering the sale of the club to a group led by American investor Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
