Abramovich saga highlights need for properly regulated ownership

It was depressing but not surprising to hear sections of the Chelsea away support chanting the name of their outgoing owner during a show of solidarity with Ukraine before they beat Burnley last month.

Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale after the UK government froze his assets due to his close relationship with Russian president Vladamir Putin, who ordered the unconscionable invasion of Ukraine.

One might assume the horrors taking place in Eastern Europe would force Chelsea fans to reassess their view of the oligarch owner and the dubious source of his wealth, but some remain fiercely loyal, which speaks to the strange relationship between fans and owners.

From a strictly footballing perspective, it is easy to see why some people are quick to blindly leap to his defence. After all, Abramovich elevated Chelsea to the top of the English game with years of big-money signings and became popular for his ruthless approach.

Fans of the club came to expect success, rather than hope for it, and as managers came and went on a conveyor belt, the owner seemed to become untouchable, while supporters felt they were in his debt.

There has always been a blurred line between sport and politics, and some fans, and indeed many in football, were so focused on what was happening on the pitch with his investment, that they ignored the source of his huge fortune and all of its associated moral issues.

This was taken to the extreme by some Chelsea fans, who came to view the sanctions against Abramovich as an attack against the club – some attempted to defend his relationship with Putin and even tried to say his contribution to football gave him some sort of free pass.

Football clubs should be so much more than a vehicle for investment, and something needs to be done to safeguard them from the waxing and waning whims of their owners, as well as the controversy surrounding them.

In an ideal world, owners would be quiet custodians who look out for the best interests of the club. They can quite rightly share in any success but they should not be placed on a pedestal for the amount of money they put in, nor should they have almost unlimited power.

It is hoped the Chelsea situation helps us to draw clearer lines on what we expect from club owners now that the horse has already bolted on who can buy a football club, given we have de facto state-owned clubs and others used as savings accounts by US billionaires.

Fans of Portsmouth and Bury, not to mention those who followed the farce of the European Super League, know the perils of unchecked and unregulated ownership, which is why the Fan-Led Review of Football Governance, led by Tracey Crouch, must be taken seriously.

The game has become so fattened with cash at the highest level, it is in danger of toppling over and taking the football pyramid with it, so it is time to introduce an independent regulator and enforce a golden share for fans, who need more say on the direction of their clubs.

The last month has shown us protecting the heritage of football clubs from greed and controversy should be at the top of the sport's to-do list and the answer is proper regulation and real power for the fans.

Benzema getting better with age

Anybody who lets out a noise every time they try to pull their socks up in a weekly five-a-side league knows advancing age is the enemy of sporting ability but the recent performances of Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema give us all some much-needed cause for optimism.

We have long had a working theory that the best footballers peaked in their late 20s and were destined for a retirement tour in one of the minor leagues, usually the MLS, as soon as they reached 35.

Yet thanks to the wonders of modern medicine and training, players can maintain peak performance for longer and last week's European second leg between Real Madrid and Chelsea was proof. It featured veterans such as Thiago Silva (37) and Luka Modric (36), whose assist for Rodrygo with the outside of his boot belongs in the Louvre.

By far the best player across the two legs was Benzema, a relative spring chicken compared to Modric and Silva, at 34. After scoring a hat-trick in the first leg, he scored the goal to put Madrid through 5-4 on aggregate in extra time after they almost threw the tie away.

The prolific forward seems to be getting better with age, helped by the fact he no longer has to live in the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo, and it is heartening to watch him still playing at the highest level. It remains to be seen whether he could do it on a cold, windy night at Raynes Park Goals in London but the fact he is still flourishing as he nears the end of his career does offer some hope to the rest of us.

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport