Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has criticised fans who sang the name of Roman Abramovich during a show of solidarity with Ukraine ahead of their match with Burnley.
Ahead of kick-off at Turf Moor, players from both teams gathered around the centre circle to show solidarity with those suffering in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But a section of Chelsea fans could be heard chanting the name of Roman Abramovich as the rest of the stadium applauded in tribute to the victims of the war.
It was a moment criticised by many on social media, with Abramovich accused of having links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, something the Chelsea owner has always denied.
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With the Blues being put up for sale, many supporters have been eager to pay tribute to their owner of nearly 20 years, but Tuchel condemned the timing of the chant.
“It’s not the moment to do this,” Tuchel said of the incident during his post-match press conference.
“Listen, if we show solidarity we show solidarity and we should do it together. We take the knee together and if an important person from our club or another club unfortunately dies, we show a minute of respect. It’s not the moment to give other messages. It’s the moment to show respect.
“We do this because this is what we are also as a club. We show respect as a club and we need our fans to commit to this minute of applause. At this moment, we do it for Ukraine and there is no second opinion about the situation there. They have our thoughts and our support.
“We should stand together as a club. It’s not the moment for other messages.”
The future of Chelsea remains up in the air, although a consortium led by American billionaire Todd Boehly is thought to be leading the race to purchase the club.
Previous reports suggest talks were set for this weekend and that a deal could even be struck as early as Monday. Premier League chief Richard Masters suggests it is more likely to be a matter of weeks, however.
Chelsea went on to win the match 4-0, with all four strikes arriving in the second half from Reece James, Christian Pulisic and a Kai Havertz double.
https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/news/breaking-tuchel-chelsea-fans-abramovich-23300846
