Тодд Боэли ТУЗ-ийн даргын албан тушаалаасаа чөлөөлөгдөж, тус клубийн эзэмшлийн бүтцэд томоохон өөрчлөлт орлоо.
Челси клубийн хувьцаа эзэмшигч Clearlake Capital компани Тодд Боэли болон Марк Уолтер нарын эзэмшиж байсан хувьцааг худалдан авснаар клубийн үйл ажиллагаанд “бүрэн хяналт” тогтоосноо албан ёсоор мэдэгдлээ. Энэхүү хэлцлийн хүрээнд Тодд Боэли ТУЗ-ийн даргын үүрэгт ажлаа хүлээлгэн өгч, дөрвөн жил үргэлжилсэн хамтын ажиллагаагаа өндөрлүүлж байна. 2022 онд Роман Абрамовичоос тус клубийг 2.3 тэрбум фунт стерлингээр худалдан авсан консорциумын бүрэлдэхүүнд байсан Боэли ийнхүү клубээс бүрмөсөн гарч байгаа юм.
Клубийн зүгээс гаргасан мэдэгдэлд дурдсанаар, 12.8 хувийн хувьцаа эзэмшдэг Хансйорг Висс эзэмшлийн бүлэгт үлдэж, томоохон түнш хэвээр байх болно. Мөн энэхүү өөрчлөлт нь клубийн өдөр тутмын үйл ажиллагаа, удирдлагын бүтэц болон цаашдын стратегид ямар нэгэн нөлөө үзүүлэхгүй болохыг онцолжээ.
Тодд Боэли өөрийн мэдэгдэлдээ Челси клубийн ТУЗ-ийн даргаар ажилласан нь нэр төрийн хэрэг байсныг дурдаад, хамтран ажилласан Clearlake болон нийт эзэмшигчдийн бүлэгт талархал илэрхийлэв. Тэрээр клубийн ирээдүйн амжилтад итгэлтэй байгаагаа илэрхийлж, ажлаа хүлээлгэн өглөө.
Шинжээчдийн дүгнэлтээр, энэхүү алхам нь Clearlake компанийн хувьд клубийн удирдлагын бодлогыг илүү хялбаршуулж байгаа бөгөөд Бехдад Эгбали тэргүүтэй удирдлагын баг өмнөх дөрвөн жилийн хугацаанд үйл ажиллагааг голчлон хариуцаж байсан тул засаглалын хувьд томоохон өөрчлөлт гарахгүй хэмээн үзэж байна. Clearlake компани нь Челсигээс гадна Страсбург клубийн хувьцааг эзэмшдэг бөгөөд ийнхүү Лондоны багийн бүрэн эрх мэдлийг гартаа авснаар клубийн хөгжлийн стратегийг үргэлжлүүлэн хэрэгжүүлэх боломжтой боллоо.
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Chelsea have announced that Clearlake Capital has taken “full control” of the club after completing a purchase of minority stakes from Todd Boehly and Mark Walter.
Boehly will leave his role as chairman. It ends the American’s four-year affiliation with the west London club, after he fronted the consortium with majority shareholders Clearlake that paid £2.3billion ($3bn) to acquire the club from sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in 2022.
The Athletic reported last week that the sale of both Boehly’s and Walter’s stakes were close, which was confirmed by a club statement on Wednesday night.
Hansjorg Wyss, who holds a 12.8 per cent stake, will “remain an important stakeholder and partner in the ownership group”, the statement said, adding that there will be “no changes to the day-to-day operations, leadership or strategy” at the club.
“In 2022, Todd Boehly and Clearlake joined together to lead the historic acquisition of Chelsea – successfully navigating an unprecedented period of uncertainty imposed by outside political events – and Todd organised his chairmanship with an unwavering commitment to this ownership group’s fundamental belief that the supporters are at the heart of everything the club does,” Chelsea’s statement read.
“Clearlake intends to continue building on the strategic course the Club is now on and realising the ambition that the ownership group has developed together.”
Boehly added: “It has been an honour to serve as chairman of Chelsea Football Club. I would like to thank the many who helped secure a bright future for the club, including the English Premier League, the coaches and players, the talented leadership and staff at Chelsea, and the legions of dedicated fans.
“I have valued my partnership with Clearlake and the wider ownership group, and the collective decisions and investment we have made to support the immediate and long-term success of the club. I am confident that Chelsea is well positioned for continued success under Clearlake’s leadership.”
Part of the consortium’s agreement when it was formed to buy Chelsea in 2022 was that no one could sell their shares to anyone outside the group for ten years, giving Clearlake now greatly increased control.
What does this mean for Chelsea?
Analysis by Chelsea correspondent Liam Twomey
This was the likeliest outcome from the moment it emerged two years ago that Clearlake and Boehly had agreed to explore buyout options, and the ending that everyone has been waiting for since the Financial Times broke the news last month that Boehly and Walter were in talks to sell their shares in Chelsea.
Clearlake had always been adamant that they had no interest in relinquishing their majority stake and, if anything, would look to increase it. Now they have full control of Chelsea and BlueCo sister club Strasbourg, while Boehly and Walter have both been paid what they clearly regard as a fair price to sell up and walk away.
Note the line in the statement which says there will be “no changes to the day-to-day operations, leadership or strategy at the club”. This is a financial transaction, not a power shift, since Clearlake — principally through their co-founder Behdad Eghbali — have been running the show at Chelsea for most of the last four years.
A key point of tension has been removed from the boardroom. Boehly has not been comfortable as a back seat passenger, even if he has been careful not to air any grievances in public. Now he can focus on his many other investments, while Walter has followed his shock sale of the Los Angeles Lakers by raising another chunk of cash against the backdrop of an ongoing federal investigation into his business empire.
Wyss remaining on board is a surprise but not a shock. While closely associated with Boehly, he signed up to be a passive investor in Chelsea when BlueCo bought the club from Roman Abramovich in June 2022 and may well intend to remain a background figure in the ownership.
In one sense this simplifies things for Clearlake, while also increasing their potential return in a future sale if they are able to make Chelsea a success on and off the pitch in the coming years, But if they cannot, there will be only one place for supporters to direct the anger and blame.
