Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has sent a letter to every Chelsea player today, pledging even greater support from the club in the fight against racism and discrimination. This follows the abhorrent racist abuse suffered recently by Reece James, as well as the countless other such incidents with Chelsea, Manchester United, and many other teams’ players. The Daily Mail first reported this in an exclusive, including a picture of the letter.
Abramovich, whose award-winning ‘Say No To Antisemitism’ campaign launched three years ago and has seen Chelsea take center stage in that fight, reveals in the letter that he will “personally direct more funds” towards efforts in the “important work” of fighting “racism, antisemitism, and all forms of discrimination”.
“I want Chelsea Football Club to do more to challenge discrimination at our club, in our communities and in the world around us. Rest assured that we will play a leading role in this vital work and demonstrate that football is a sport that is open to all.”
-Roman Abramovich; source: Mail
The letter does not detail any specific actions beyond that, but assures that the club will be setting out those actions in the coming days.
Thank you, Roman.
Here’s the letter Roman Abramovich has sent to all Chelsea players today, pledging his backing and support following the racist abuse suffered by Reece James. pic.twitter.com/0JY94cffX1
— Mike Keegan (@MikeKeegan_DM) February 1, 2021