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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
JOE KRISHNAN

Roman Abramovich still committed to Chelsea and is in contact ‘several times a day’, insists Bruce Buck

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck insists owner Roman Abramovich is still committed to the club despite his prolonged absence from the UK.

The Russian billionaire has not been seen at a game at Stamford Bridge since May 2018 after being denied a visa and is believed to be residing in Tel-Aviv after acquiring Israeli citizenship.

Reports earlier this week suggested the Blues supremo had decided against paying for a corporate box at the club's stadium amid his ongoing visa row with the UK Government.

With several potential suitors lining up offers, it was suggested Abramovich could consider selling the club he bought in 2003 from former chairman Ken Bates. But Buck says the 52-year-old isn't going anywhere.

"Everything he's doing reaffirms his commitment to Chelsea," Buck told Sky Sports News.

Abramovich no longer lives in the UK after being denied a visa Photo: AP Photo/Matt Dunham

"We hear from him several times a day and he's talking to us about players, commercial activities and our good causes.

"So I would say he's committed to Chelsea."

Chelsea have recently implemented an anti-Semitism campaign to combat the number of recent incidents at the club and Buck revealed Abramovich has been heavily involved in the setup of the project.

"We had a couple of incidents and we were very unhappy with it, particularly since the club now is very focused on a project thanks to the impetus from Roman Abramovich of tackling anti-Semitism," he added.

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck Photo: PA

"We just wanted to make it clear to those very few fans who are acting inappropriately that we have a very strong position on this issue.

"I think the Chelsea supporter base is reflective of society generally and I think we've seen in the last few years a rise of incidents relating to anti-Semitism and that's reflected in our fan base.

"That's the main reason why we have this project. We've got to do our share to do something about it."

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