Abramovich Puts Chelsea Stadium Project on Ice, Might Withdraw UK Visa Request
Chelsea, who won the English Premier League title last year, have announced plans to put on ice a massive redevelopment of their Stamford Bridge stadium. It comes as the club’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich announced he would not be pursuing his application for a UK investor visa.
Chelsea issued a statement on Thursday, May 31, saying work on their new stadium in west London would be suspended indefinitely because of the “unfavorable investment climate.”
“No further pre-construction and planning work will occur. The club does not have a time frame set for reconsideration of its decision,” the statements reads.
At the same time, The Jerusalem Post reported that “sources close to the businessman said that after receiving Israeli citizenship, he no longer requires a visa to travel to the United Kingdom.”
However, the businessman or his spokesperson have yet to comment on the information published by the Israeli media.
‘Unfavorable Investment Climate’
Although the “unfavorable investment climate” could be a reference to Brexit, it is thought more likely that it is due to Theresa May’s government’s stance on Russian investors in the wake of the Skripal case.
The current stadium capacity is around 42,000, well below that of rivals Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham, who are due to open their new stadium later this year.