Abramovich returns as show of Chelsea
commitment
tribalfooball.com - February 15, 2007
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is back in London - the first time
for more than a month - and will hold talks with manager Jose
Mourinho.
The Times says Abramovich has barely spoken to his manager since a
row at the start of January, but is planning to attend tomorrow's
FA Cup fifth-round tie against Norwich City at Stamford
Bridge.
Mourinho has not seen Abramovich since the Russian abandoned his
usual practice of visiting Chelsea's dressing-room at the height of
their stand-off after a 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic on January 13,
the last game he attended. Abramovich has since missed six
successive matches, an unprecedented level of absenteeism that has
only served to further the impression of an irreparable rift with
Mourinho.
With Chelsea fans giving their vocal backing to Mourinho at
Stamford Bridge and suspicions that his interest is waning,
Abramovich is keen to demonstrate that his commitment to the club
is as strong as ever by attending the majority of games until the
end of the season. The 40-year-old is planning to travel to
Portugal for the first leg of Chelsea's Champions League first
knockout round tie against FC Porto on Wednesday and will be in
Cardiff for the Carling Cup final against Arsenal four days
later.