In society

Abramovich and Chelsea - 10 years

July 3, 2013 Anton Oresh

Ten years ago, July 2, 2003, I came to the fly to us at the Echo. Discussion of current topics, prioritization. It was on this day that the news came that Abramovich bought Chelsea. I no longer remember what news considered the main ones that day. But my colleagues did not find an understanding of my exclamations that a historical event had just happened and that it was the purchase of a Chelsea to Abramovich and should be done with the first news. That is, they understood that something extraordinary happened, but not so much that it went beyond the purely sports sensation. And the word "Chelsea" to none of those who are not interested in sports and football was known with us. However, then I did not assume that this event would become really historical and even household.

And I also recall today a funny plot from the old and pest NTV, from the Kiselev “results”. The plot was about the mysterious businessman Abramovich, who somehow became entered into the near circle of Yeltsin. Then it was just that the concept of “family” began to enter (or maybe yet!). It was very fun! There was not a single photograph of Abramovich, except for some mint, blurry, made from afar-where he was sitting sideways, half closed by someone. And in this photo, as well as verbal descriptions of a few eyewitnesses, some artist on Arbat painted a portrait! And this, they told us, and there is a mysterious Abramovich.

Yes, there were times! Although Abramovich has not become a public person since then. His photos are now full. His life is no longer one continuous mystery. We know about his yachts, mansions and other wealth, about his former and current wives, about his children - and much more. He even managed to visit the governor of the whole region! But I don’t remember how his voice sounds, and I’m not sure that I saw at least one interview with him. And did not read either. Here is such a famous celebrity in the shade.

His name became a household name. And Chelsea also became a household name. Abramovich became a symbol of enormous wealth “acquired by dishonest way”, and his football club is a symbol of ostentatious luxury, crazy spending on entertainment abroad, while in the homeland of “teachers, doctors and orphans” ... Meanwhile, the story with Chelsea is very entertaining. And in the political sense, and in sports.

Actually, Lyubov Abramovich for football for many has become a revelation. And only then the stories of people who knew that this sport was very interesting, and even called the exact date, when and why he decided firmly that some famous club would buy. Moreover, they say that he wanted to build such a club in Russia. But in Russia it turned out to be uncomfortable and unprofitable to build in every sense.

And he bought Chelsea. And this purchase opened to Abramovich the path to the Higher Light. He actually became the first Russian famous rich man in the world. And this, by the way, is a good answer to the question of what to spend hundreds of millions on a toy that will bring nothing but these millions of expenses. Your club is a pass to high society. You can be much richer and spent much more on metallurgical plants or telecommunication holdings-and not to win fame outside the business community and the circle of readers of the Forbes magazine. And they love football everywhere, they follow him everywhere. So Abramovich, one might say, even saved.

He opened the Russian oligarchs to the world and said a new word in world sports, by the way. Rich people had sport a lot before, but they did it at home. It was Abramovich who set an example for Russian, Arabic, and other foreign investors who began expansion to other countries. And now in world football, not only teams that consist entirely of legionnaires and under the leadership of foreign coaches, but whose owners are rich foreigners are completely normal. Globalization and cosmopolitanism, so to speak.

It is interesting that Abramovich about and without reproaching this “Chelsea” even in the sports world. Although he supported football teams and hockey in Russia without a pump and noise. With his money, there was the best youth football academy in the country. With his money, a frantic mutko laid hundreds of football fields throughout the country. Abramovich paid the salary of Gusa Hiddinka. But this “Chelsea”, as he stuck to Roman Arkadyevich, did not drop it anymore. And as if there was nothing but Chelsea. This is the strength of symbols. This is the power of stereotypes and the length of the train of the reputation.

For ten years, Abramovich spent two billion pounds on Chelsea, suffered losses by almost seven hundred million pounds. But his team won all what cups can. And Abramovich’s dream came true to win the main of them - the Champions League. Not such a high price for dreaming of dreams. 700 million can cost the same metallurgical company that will not bring any fame or such pleasure. And hemorrhoids and embezzlement can bring even more.

But the purchase of Chelsea was a political move. Although this is undeservedly little. Abramovich bought not only a football club. And not only a pass to the Higher European Light. He bought himself some insurance. 10 years ago, the oligarchs in Rus' became restless. The state decided to obscure the deck well. Explain the new rules of the game to everyone. “Family” were pushed by St. Petersburg, “lake” and the Chekists. Some of the particularly lively oligarchs just got into the ultrasound in order to spend the next ten years not on yachts and in the lodges of the London stadiums, but in the remote corners of the homeland, sewing warm mittens. Abramovich was at risk. But as soon as he became a world celebrity, it was not that it was impossible to deal with him, but not so easy. And certainly it is impossible without unnecessary international hype. After all, he was no longer just very rich, but unknown to anyone in the West Navorish, but the respected owner of the respectable club. And this is by no means the same thing. I do not want to say that this decisively influenced the fate of Roman Arkadyevich, but coupled with his ability to make the right moves along the corridors of the authorities and not to make the wrong ones - it was certainly affected.

And Chelsea fans, by the way, love Abramovich. For ten years in the life of the teams, there were not only bright moments. There were defeats and unpleasant scandals. But fans blamed everyone except the owner. After all, thanks to him, their dreams came true. Which would not have come true without him, perhaps never.

And Abramovich is loved by Chukchi. I recall another Entayvex report. In my opinion, Parfenov is still. There, some reindeer herder was asked: what does it mean for Chukotka Abramovich? And this reindeer herder, thinking, replied: “He is for us like ... how ... how '' Bitles ''!”

Photo by ITAR-TASS/ Vitaly Belousov