'We go day by day' - Petr Cech on Chelsea's future without Roman Abramovich
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ByEurosport
Published 13/03/2022 at 15:24 GMT
Petr Cech says Chelsea have to operate on a day by day basis with the future of its ownership in doubt. The government placed sanctions on its Russian owner Roman Abramovich due to his connection to Russia president Vladimir Putin and the nation's invasion of Ukraine, leaving the club’s future up in the air. Abramovich has been disqualified as a director by the Premier League.
Petr Cech
Image credit: Getty Images
Chelsea technical director Petr Cech says the Champions League holders have to take its future “day by day” with the Premier League club reportedly allowed to be sold.
The UK government say Chelsea can continue to operate under a "special licence". The special licence allows Chelsea to fulfil fixture commitments, pay staff, including coaches and players, and spend up to £900,000 to host home fixtures; an increase from the £500,000 outlined when the sanctions were announced.
But there are still questions about how the club can feasibly sustain itself without an owner. Chelsea's shirt sponsor Three suspended its deal with the club and Barclays placed a temporary freeze on the Blues’ bank accounts.
Cech says the people who work at Chelsea simply have to continue as usual and hopes the situation gets resolved.
“It’s been devastating to watch what’s been happening in Ukraine,” the former Chelsea goalkeeper told Sky Sports.
“I hope that the situation improves soon and that people will stop suffering.
"If you compare it to what’s happening here at the football club it’s of course being a difficult situation because we have a lot of questions but we do not have many answers.
“But we have to concentrate on things we can control. Which is obviously is working with people, support each other, come to training, prepare and focus on the games.
“The team have the support around to do it and we would like to keep the integrity of the Premier League to be prepared as much as possible and try to do our best.
We go day by day because we do not have this in our hands. The conversations are going on that we can operate the way that we can finish the season.
“Obviously it’s a difficult situation and we are part of the Premier League – one of the best competitions in the world – and I believe that for us to be able to carry on to finish the season would obviously would help everyone involved in the Premier League too.
“We have the board and people from the club talking to the government about every day about the licence and about how we can operate and what we can.
“These conversations are ongoing and we try to as best as we can to go day by day and prepare for every day. We hope the situation will be clear soon.”
The club’s financial predicament also raises questions over the future of its players and staff.
When asked about what Abramovich's expulsion could mean for head coach Thomas Tuchel, Cech said he was under the impression that contracts all remain in place.
He said: “Thomas (Tuchel) has a contract until 2024. We have been told that the contracts will be valued and in that way we hope we will have him as a coach.
“That’s another thing. Tomorrow things can change and then my answer will be irrelevant.
“We know in football managers come and leave and sometimes the clubs change the owners. We know that. Now we are in that situation.
“We hope the new owner will come and want to continue this legacy of the club to be competitive and take care of the community as the Chelsea foundation setup in the past.”
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