Chelsea have rubbished suggestions that
billionaire owner Roman Abramovich collapsed in an attempt to climb
Mount Kilimanjaro.
It was claimed that Abramovich experienced breathing problems
during a failed attempt to ascend the mountain in Tanzania last
week.
But Chelsea have insisted that Abramovich did not require
medical attention and denied that their former interim coach Guus
Hiddink was in the expedition, which the Blues also maintained was
properly prepared and organised.
A spokesman for Chelsea said: "Roman Abramovich did not
collapse, develop respiratory problems, altitude sickness or
require medical attention during his recent trip to Mount
Kilimanjaro.
"The expedition was properly prepared and those in the group who
wanted to reach the summit did so without incident.
"Furthermore, despite claims to the contrary, Guus Hiddink was
not a member of the expedition, as he was in Britain leading the
Russian national football team to victory over Wales."
Chelsea responded after reports claimed that Abramovich ran into
problems when the 42-year-old and a party of six friends set out to
scale Africa's highest mountain.
It was alleged that they failed to train properly to cope with
the altitude and the expedition had to be cancelled at 15,100ft
after Abramovich succumbed to what appeared to have been symptoms
of altitude sickness and needed medical attention.
It was also suggested that Abramovich's group reportedly failed
to undergo the usual seven-day acclimatisation procedure to adapt
to the climate and the low air pressure.
Hiddink was also supposedly involved in the attempt to scale the
mountain, known as the 'Roof of Africa', but Chelsea have now
firmly denied all the allegations.
