Football and Ukraine

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BBC reports that “Travelling fans at Carrow Road chanted the name of Roman Abramovich hours after it was announced Chelsea's Russian owner had been sanctioned by the UK government.”

I just don’t understand this. The nation seems pretty united in condemning the invasion of Ukraine. I’m fed up of money and winning in football being more important than anything.

Abramovich won’t condemn the invasion. Why is it acceptable to chant his name like he is a hero, but there were calls to boycott coke as it would not pull out of Russia?

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60597807

Corruption in football and corruption in government. Corruption in our society. We should look at the ugly truth of what it is. Billionaires own football clubs and through pure luck of being a billionaire's pet project, your team succeeds. Don't ask questions about how they got their money as long as your team is flush with money to spend on players.

Fans need to take a good look at themselves if they're feeling sympathy for Abramovitch or anger about this. Yes it's a shame for them and for the players but it's pretty simple. Their billionaire benefactor could give the club away without sanctions and allow it to thrive. He is free to do that as long as he doesn't profit. But of course he won't. And instead of being angry at the corrupt owner of the club and his dirty money and him hanging on to it as desperately as he can, they chant his name.

I listened to a number of football fans phoning in to a radio programme yesterday. It was clear that they didn't have much grasp of anything but their obsession with football, or any empathy with anyone other than footballers or football fans.

Because most of them are thick as mince and not as appealing.

• I say this as a football fan (not Chelski) myself.

When the government is propped up with Russian money and allowed to continue I struggle to direct my anger at football fans who supported a club before and will after, Russian money was on the table.

ThisIsGroundControl

But they can continue to support Chelsea without supporting Abramovich? I agree the dodgy deals in Government is hugely worrying, but surely chanting Abramovich’s name says the public don’t care about where money comes from and the government will think we will continue to turn a blind eye?

If there was an election tomorrow people will still vote Conservative despite much of their income being financed by Russia.

Sport works in a similar way to religion, it gives the follower a framework, something to believe in and a uniting feeling. You don't win and lose alone in sport. Russian money has transformed Chelsea and it is a case of don't bite the hand that feeds me. And currently there will be no Chelsea if the sanctions stand, so you can't support Chelsea and not Roman.
Germany wants sanctions but still wants Russian gas, it's a smaller version of that.

It isn't acceptable, but these are Chelsea fans who are known for being particularly tasteless and racist.

Germany wants sanctions but still wants Russian gas, it's a smaller version of that

This is thought provoking.

There always was a nasty section of those men who follow Chelsea. So it was no surprise to me.

Not the only football club owned by someone who most of us would view as despicable in some way.

BBC Scotland made a huge deal of speculating on whether the Ukraine Scotland game would go ahead as scheduled. One commentator reckoned it might cos playing football would be so uplifting for the Ukrainian team.

Rangers fans broke the Scottish lockdown rules and ran amok in Glasgow vandalising things, shouting and swearing, peeing in the streets, smashing bottles and fighting. Everyone knew this would happen but the Scottish government did nothing. They're terrified of football fans. It's disgraceful.