Roman's growing bored with
football
Is this the real cause of Chelsea's civil
war?
When you own a Boeing 767, you can pretty much go anywhere,
whenever you choose. Money is no object and nor is seat
availability. But according to those close to Roman Abramovich, no
date has been set for when his custom-built jet airliner will next
be touching down on English soil.
"His schedule is fluid at the moment," said a source in Moscow
before insisting the Russian billionaire had been forced to miss
Chelseas last two games because of business commitments. Those
same sources deny Chelseas owner has fallen out of love with his
favourite football team, but that was not a view shared privately
by officials at Stamford Bridge.
They hope the two goals Andriy Shevchenko scored against Wycombe on
Tuesday night did not just secure Chelseas place in next months
Carling Cup Final. They hope, rather nervously, that the goals will
reinvigorate Abramovichs enthusiasm for the game.
The rift that has developed between Abramovich and manager Jose
Mourinho is the reason the former oil magnate did not take his
usual seat at Stamford Bridge this week and why he also failed to
show at Anfield last Saturday. And the longer he remains away, the
more likely the season will end with Mourinhos departure from
Chelsea - an outcome that is still the greatest fear of chief
executive Peter Kenyon and his colleagues on the Chelsea
board.
Nobody seems quite sure when Abramovich will next appear. Sunday's
FA Cup tie against Nottingham Forest? Next Wednesdays Premiership
encounter with Blackburn? He was still in Moscow yesterday and,
according to sources in Israel, he is due there next week for a
football tournament of rather less significance than anything
Chelsea remain involved in.
While Abramovich remains away, Mourinho continues to play. He was
reluctant to appear before the media after Tuesdays semi-final
victory but, once in position, he wasted little time in turning up
the heat on his absent employers.
The players, he said, remained behind him so much so, in fact,
that captain John Terry wants to know if Mourinho will remain in
charge before he signs an extension to his contract. It amounted to
mischief making. Terry, after all, is expected to sign a new
£150,000-a-week contract irrespective of who is Chelsea's manager
next season. But he was hardly going to assist Kenyon in brokering
a peace deal between Mourinho and Abramovich.
