Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has appeared to suggest that Oligarchs, such as Roman Abramovich, have used businesses, like football clubs, to launder money.
The claims come amid greater scrutiny of the ownership of football clubs after sanctions were imposed on Blues owner Abramovich by the British government.
The billionaire has had his assets frozen in the UK in the wake of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, although he continues to deny any links to president Vladimir Putin.
On Saturday, the Premier League confirmed they had suspended Abramovich as director of the club.
Khan has now made the claim that Abramovich should never have been allowed to buy the West London club in 2003 and called for stricter rules across the game’s ownership structures.
Have Your Say! Should Abramovich have been allowed to run Chelsea? Tell us what you think here.
Khan was speaking to Football Joe about the sanctions faced by Abramovich and the ownership issues surrounding the Premier League.
When asked if Abramovich should ever have been allowed to buy Chelsea 19 years ago, the London mayor responded: “No.
“I think Jurgen Klopp spoke for many, and not just from a Liverpool fans point of view, when he said: ‘Hold on a second, this is not something new.’
“I think the Premier League needs to be looking into those who acquire football clubs, in relation to whether they’re ‘fit and proper’ to be running the football clubs.
“I can understand, as a fan, and I speak as a fan, as to why you would want your club to do well.
“Often, you only do well by having the money to buy the best players, the best manager and the best facilities.
“But I think those who regulate the game, those who are in charge of deciding who owns a club, should be doing far more robust checks in relation to ownership.
“The reality is, Russian oligarchs close to Putin used property, used businesses including football clubs in London to help launder their money.
“And it’s right and proper we’re finally waking up to that.
“But this isn’t the only example of Premier League clubs being used in a way that, in my view, is inappropriate.”
Roman Abramovich has been approached for comment on Khan's apparent claims.
The Blues are now operating under a special license - severely limiting their revenue streams - and shirt sponsors Three have suspended their partnership, worth £40million per annum.
Barclays have also suspended the club's bank account and there's a possibility the Blues could face financial armageddon between now and the summer due to the precarious situation.
That is the context in which the club are keen to complete a sale of the club’s ownership as soon as possible with Saudi Media making a bid to buy the Blues.
