Roman Abramovich intention to sell Chelsea made no mention of Russia or president Vladimir Putin. He has denied he has close links to Putin or his government.
Piet De Visser, former Chelsea scout, said Abramovich’s decision to sell the club is hurts him when fans thought him as a cold person.
“It was a big blow because he’s a very important person for the club and people have the wrong image of him. It’s not about money for Roman, he has a lot. That’s an essential difference.” De Visser said.
“He’s actually a warm personality. I’m sure he will be upset that I talk about him in the press, but I stand by what I said. I will gladly accept his criticism against me. But I want to say who Roman is,” Visser added.
Abramovich, who bought Chelsea in 2003 and has overseen the collection of 19 major trophies. The Russian billionaire meant a lot to De Visser in 2003, not only on a business level but also on a personal level.
“I remember well that I had just had heart surgery, when I subsequently suffered from cancer of the esophagus. I got over that, but I was a dead bird. So I called Roman to tell him that unfortunately I had to retire as scout.” Visser said.
“I will never forget what he said to me ‘Piet you can sign a contract for ten or twenty years’. You don’t believe that, do you? I was on the verge of death and I am told that he wants to extend my contract for another ten or twenty years. That means a lot to someone, and it gave me a lot of strength.” he added.
