Thomas Tuchel admits the invasion of Ukraine and the horrors of war in Europe are clouding life at Chelsea and could turn public feeling against the London club owned by Roman Abramovich.
‘We should not pretend that this is not an issue and I agree,’ said Chelsea’s head coach, when asked ahead of tomorrow’s Carabao Cup final how he felt about the naming of Russian oligarch Abramovich during parliamentary debate on sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s regime.
‘The situation for me and for everybody here, for the players, is horrible. Nobody expected this. It’s pretty unreal, it’s clouding our minds, clouding excitement towards the final and it brings huge uncertainty.
‘Much more to all people and families who are actually in the moment more involved than us, and our thoughts are obviously with them, which is absolutely most important.’
Tuchel said he agreed with the decision to strip Russia of the honour of hosting the Champions League final, as confirmed yesterday by UEFA, with the end-of-season showpiece moved from St Petersburg to Paris.
‘We absolutely understand the decision and it is for absolutely the worst reason,’ said Tuchel, who won the European title last year, when the final was switched from St Petersburg to Porto due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He also confessed he would prefer to talk purely about the football but realised it was impossible amid events of such magnitude, and recognised that Chelsea, the only Russian-owned Premier League club, might be a target for the backlash of anti-war sentiment.
‘To a certain degree I can understand critical opinions towards the club, towards us who represent that club,’ said Tuchel. ‘I can understand that and we cannot fully free ourselves from it. Maybe people understand that me as a coach or the players, we don’t have the insight what is really going on.
Thomas Tuchel and Roman Abramovich greet each other after the Champions League final
Abramovich could face…
Source : dailymail
