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Senior Labour MP calls on government to give £2.5bn from Chelsea sale to Ukraine

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Private equity buyers flooding into Premier League and European football are likely to want more of a say over the rules of the game, top lawyers have told Morning Wire, including the potential introduction of ‘closed leagues’ without promotion or relegation.
Private equity buyers flooding into Premier League and European football are likely to want more of a say over the rules of the game, top lawyers have told Morning Wire, including the potential introduction of ‘closed leagues’ without promotion or relegation.

A senior Labour MP has hit out at the government for its delay in handing over billions of pounds to Ukraine, after the sale of Chelsea FC in May.

Around £2.5bn made from the sale of the Premier League club still sits in the frozen Barclays bank account of ex-Chelsea owner, and sanctioned Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich.

Rhondda MP Chris Bryant today questioned why the “Foreign Office still hasn’t set up the fund so the money can be given to the people of Ukraine” more than three months after the sale of the club to Todd Boehly.

Speaking in the House of Commons, he asked: “Why is the Foreign Office taking so long, when is it going to be sorted?”

Junior foreign minister Rehman Chishti said “I cannot comment on specific cases”.

Abramovich was forced by the UK government to sell Chelsea in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The billionaire had all of his UK assets frozen, alongside more than 100 other Russian oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin.