Former Chelsea midfielder Sebastian Kneissl has opened up about Roman Abramovich, saying he, among other things, took a penalty against Carlo Cudicini.
Kneissl, who joined Chelsea in 2000, did not make a competitive appearance for the team until joining Wacker Burghausen.
But he told Goal some of the things he witnessed during his time there, saying the Russian owner wanted to take a penalty against his number one at the time – Cudicini.
“He watched our training session and wanted to take a penalty at the end,” Kneissl said. “He tried against Carlo Cudicini and you do everything because he pays you.
“If Carlo had spared this penalty, Roman would have paid his contract with his pocket money and told him to leave!”
Abramovich bought Chelsea for £140m ($184m) in July 2003, paving the way for future club takeovers. His cash injections have seen West London become one of Europe’s most successful clubs over the past 19 years.
Last week, US investment bank The Raine Group, which is helping oversee the sale, set March 15 as the deadline for buyers to submit offers.
But, due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and possible links between Abramovich and their president Vladimir Putin – which he has always vehemently denied – the 55-year-old has put the club on the market.
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Meanwhile, the UK government may impose penalties on the owner before they are able to complete the sale of Chelsea.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said a new bill – the government’s Economic Crimes (Transparency and Enforcement) Bill – will seek to impose tougher penalties on wealthy Russians.
The bill, which is expected to pass, comes after the tycoon’s £330m superyacht, the Eclipse, left Holland and headed to international waters, presumably to avoid being grasped.
