Tribal Football

Ex-Chelsea owner Bates slams Prem foreign owners

Ansser Sadiq
Ex-Chelsea owner Bates slams Prem foreign owners
Ex-Chelsea owner Bates slams Prem foreign ownersAction Plus
Former Chelsea owner Ken Bates has lamented foreign ownership of English football clubs.

Bates is all too familiar with bringing in rich investors and owners from abroad.

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He was Chelsea chairman when the club was sold to Roman Abramovich in 2003, which ended up saving them from administration at the time.

He told The Sun: “Most clubs are the playthings of multi-billionaire Arabs or (like Chelsea) part of American wealth fund portfolios, people who know nothing and care even less about football.

“Football clubs used to be run by men like Jack Walker, who loved their local community.

“I met Jack once and said, ‘I’m very proud of what you achieved at Blackburn. I admire you immensely but I wouldn’t want to be you’.

“He asked why not and I told him, ‘Because I wouldn’t want to live in f***ing Blackburn!’.”