Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich released a statement on Saturday stating that he was giving up control of the team. Abramovich didn’t indicate that he planned to sell the team.
His announcement comes after members of British Parliament encouraged him to give up his assets, including the British soccer club. Abramovich, a Russian businessman who has owned the team since 2003, has been a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin and could be making the move to protect the club from potential sanctions brought down against him.
“I have always taken decisions with the Club’s best interest at heart,” Abramovich said in the statement.