A Sportswashing Trail – The Roman Empire

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict seems to have changed the way of the world. And, as the saying goes, ’Sport is a reflection of the society.* *The gravity of the dispute is such that the alleged perpetrators and anyone assumed to be associated with them, are staring at the reality of being ostracised by the rest.

However, in a confusing turn of events, a person with strong connections to the Russian President himself has seemed to have unearthed solidarity amongst certain sections. This is an attempt at understanding how Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich pioneered the usage of sports as a means to launder his reputation and, in the process, contribute to the contrived of the term – Sportswashing.

What is Sportswashing?

Before delving into the Roman Abramovich story, it is necessary to familiarise with the term Sportswashing. “A process or moment where a country with a bad human rights record attempts to use sport as a way to create positive PR to clean up its image and deflect attention away from its human rights record,” explained Felix Jakens, Amnesty UK’s head of priority campaigns and individuals at risk, in conversation with Jon Whiteaker.

Who is Roman Abramovich ?

To cut it short, Roman Abramovich was an opportunist businessman, who accumulated most of his wealth during the now-infamous ‘Loans for Shares’ programme, under the Yeltsin administration and is now, allegedly, a close confidant of Vladimir Putin.

“I want to know whether this individual is a fit and a proper person to be taking over a club like Chelsea. Until the question is answered, then I’m afraid the jury is out,” said Tony Banks, the UK’s former Sports Minister, when implored about Roman Abramovich’s take over.

Why football and Chelsea, in particular?

Football presents itself to be a perfect medium in committing the act of sportswashing. Its incomparable global appeal, an ever-persisting sense of tribalism amongst fans and an inherently large transaction count make it a quintessential vehicle for attaining soft power.

So, it’s unsurprising that the Premier League, the jewel in its crown, houses the most famous examples. Be it Roman Abramovich with Chelsea, Sheikh Mansour (a member of the royal family of Abu Dhabi) with Manchester City and, very recently, the P.I.F. (the Saudi state-owned sovereign wealth fund) with Newcastle United.

In his widely acclaimed book, The Billionaires Club, James Montague sets out looking for answers. “Buying Chelsea, just at the time Putin was consolidating his power, made sense. Chelsea offered something that (Boris) Berezovsky and (Mikhail) Khodorkovsky never had: international visibility. On what had become a short timeline, every Russian oligarch’s life expectancy was reduced to near zero. Chelsea FC was Abramovich’s insurance policy,” he concluded.

A West London based club also provided Abramovich with the perfect facade. It allowed him access to the prime UK real estate which had, by then, become an archetypal global money-laundering channel. His £170m mansion in Kensington (formerly the Russian embassy), £22m penthouse and £8.75m flat have been put up for sale in the last few days, pre-empting possible sanctions. The list would have been longer if not for a £155m divorce settlement which saw him lose 3-4 other assets in England itself.

Why is this a classic case of Sportswashing?

The intent of owning a business is rarely self-evident. So, a dissection of the financials might shed some light on the matter, in this case.

Investing in football is not a profitable venture as highlighted by the man himself. “No, it’s not about making money. I have many much less risky ways of making money than this,” he said when quizzed about the intent behind acquiring Chelsea FC. These graphs, by the amazing Swiss Ramble, paint a clearer picture of the eye-watering sums pumped in by the Russian oligarch.

Since Abramovich acquired #CFC, he has put £1.5 bln into the club. To highlight their reliance on his financial support, they have benefited from more owner financing £701m than anyone else in the Big Six in the last decade; in the last 5 years their £365m is by far the highest. pic.twitter.com/OORr5W8Po2

— Swiss Ramble (@SwissRamble) March 7, 2022

Source: Swiss Ramble

In an official statement, the 55-year-old clarified that he was indeed looking for someone to get the club off of his hands. It has become clear that he’s looking to get whatever return possible for his asset before staring down the proverbial barrel. However, the fact a mention about the £1.5bn club debt being completely waived off did raise a few eyebrows. While it intends to a philanthropic angle, it is important to exhaust other possible reasons first.

This biggest challenge confronting 55-year-old will be the actual urgency with which the sale needs to be executed. While he didn’t feature in the list, the threat of sanctions still looms large and is more like to manifest, the longer the impasse remains. An investment already having a £1.5bn debt will be a major hindrance for any prospective buyer. Adding the stadium rebuilding/relocation issue to it only strengthens the deterrence.

Abramovich also added that the net proceeds from the sale of the club will be put into a charity aimed at “benefiting all the victims of the war in Ukraine.” However, the “Urgent and immediate needs of victims” will depend on his understanding of the word victim in this scenario. Also, the 278-word statement fails to allude to Russia even once, let alone any sort of reprehension. The beauty, as they say, lies in its ambiguity.

Does sportswashing work?

Until recently, the effects of Sportswashing, despite being widely acknowledged, were never tangible. But the consequences of the Eastern European fallout testify to its existence.

Since his statement addressing the sale of the club, Blues fans all over the world and prominent footballing figures have come out in support of the oligarch. Several clips of fans expressing sadness and sympathy for the Russian oil tycoon have surfaced. A minute’s applause in solidarity with Ukraine, before the Burnley-Chelsea game, also seemed to be drowned by the Blues fans chanting Roman Abramovic’s name over the top of it.

🤯🤯🤯 https://t.co/v5W7Ii93S6

— Adam Crafton (@AdamCrafton_) March 5, 2022

John Terry, a Chelsea legend,** **tweeted a picture of himself with the Premier League trophy, alongside Roman Abramovich, with the captions saying “The Best”. Amanda Staveley, the co-owner of Newcastle United and the one who facilitated the takeover by the P.I.F. said, “I’m really sad that someone is going to have a football club taken away because of a relationship he may have with someone. I don’t think it’s particularly fair to be honest,” wick soaking at the recently held Financial Times Business of Football Summit.

All of this is in stark contrast to the flood of support from the vast majority of the non-participant world heading the way of Ukraine. Surprisingly, even the Premier League has taken a firm stance, throwing its weight behind the Ukrainians.

Final thoughts

At the hands of the capable, Sportswashing becomes a compelling political tool. Ultimately, the Roman Abramovich example only stands to encourage power-hungry souls in engaging with such practices. Sportswashing while laundering the reputation of the intended, ends up staining the purity of the game as a result.