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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Jack Rosser

Chelsea: Who are the trustees taking stewardship of club? The six people handed power by Roman Abramovich

Roman Abramovich’s announcement on Saturday that "stewardship and care" of Chelsea had been passed to the trustees of the Chelsea Foundation came as a surprise to many, including to some of those who have been handed power at Stamford Bridge.

There are still unanswered questions about what "stewardship" means, whether the trustees can approve the idea and if it is even legal.

But who are the Chelsea Foundation trustees?

Standard Sport runs you through the people who are part of Abramovich’s dramatic plan.

Bruce Buck

An American lawyer who has been Chelsea chairman since 2004.

Supposedly a Chelsea fan since his arrival in London in 1983, he was Abramovich’s lawyer on his deal to buy Chelsea in 2003.

(Getty Images)

The 75-year-old is one of Abramovich’s closest confidants. He became a trustee of the Chelsea Foundation in 2011.

Emma Hayes

Chelsea Women manager since 2012, Hayes has won every major domestic trophy in more than a decade at the club and reached the Champions League Final last year.

(Getty Images)

She is said to have a close working relationship with Abramovich and has hailed the Russian for his interest and investment in the women’s side of the club.

Paul Ramos

Chelsea’s top financial figure for more than two decades, Ramos is one of the longest-serving figures among the trustees.

Ramos joined the club in 2001 as head of finance, a role he held until February 2018 when his title changed to director of finance.

Lord Sebastian Coe

The president of World Athletics, Coe is a Chelsea season-ticket holder who has supported the club since he was a child and stood in the Shed End in the 1960s.

(Nigel Howard)

The double Olympic 1500m champion was the face and architect of the London 2012 Olympic bid.

Sir Hugh Robertson

Another lifelong Chelsea fan, Robertson is chair of the British Olympic Association (BOA).

He was previously the Conservative Minister for Sport and the Olympics during London 2012. H then took on a role as Minister of State at the Foreign Office responsible for the Middle East, North Africa and counter-terrorism.

Piara Powar

Powar is the executive director of the anti-discrimination body the Fare network.

A former chief executive of Kick It Out, Powar tweeted his solidarity with and support for Ukraine on Thursday last week and labelled Vladimir Putin a "warmonger".

Fare network have called for all Russian sides to be banned from competition.

John Devine

A partner at the law firm Muckle LLP who became a trustee of the Foundation in 2010.

According to his social media, Devine is also a trustee of NFL Foundation UK, the Chelsea Players’ Trust, QPR in the Community Trust and the Great North Air Ambulance Service.

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