Russian judgment

Chelsea's new owner will only benefit the game

Ninety-five years ago a mysterious object -- possibly an asteroid, possibly a piece of anti-matter, possibly God-knows-what -- hit a remote and thankfully uninhabited section of Siberia, smashing into the ground with the force of more than a thousand atom bombs.

Hundreds of square miles of forest were destroyed, weather patterns changed, and the event, which came to be known as Tunguska, after a nearby river, was felt as far away as Western Europe and Japan.

Less than 10 days have passed since Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich -- who happens to hail from Siberia -- bought Chelsea, but the effect on the game could rival that of Tunguska, an event that is only slightly less mysterious than Abramovich.

Then again, when a guy with a personal fortune approaching US$6.5 billion (much of it liquid) swoops into a cash-strapped game, repercussions are inevitable.

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Within 48 hours of taking charge -- and clearing Chelsea's US$130 million debt -- Abramovich (or people acting on his behalf) had sounded out Alessandro Nesta, Thierry Henry, Christian Vieri, Edgar Davids and Patrick Kluivert.

On the surface, it looked like classic nouveau riche behavior -- like those hillbillies who win the lottery, walk into a department store and walk out with stacks of brand name labels: Armani, Versace, Louis Vuitton, etc.

That was certainly the initial impression. And it cemented itself when his crew allegedly approached England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, Roma's Fabio Capello and, most intriguingly, Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson asking: "What would it take for you to break your contracts and take over Chelsea?"

After all, those three are big-name coaches -- Armanis and Versaces -- whereas current Chelsea boss, Claudio Ranieri, is comparatively The Gap: reliable, sturdy and cost-effective, but hardly glamorous.

Ranieri took it in stride, saying: "When clubs change hands, anything can happen. It is the right of the new owner to hand the squad to whomever he wishes."

Indeed it is. But by undermining his manager, Abramovich isn't doing the club any favors.

Having a huge wad of cash is fine, but it helps if you have someone who can advise on how to spend it. That man should be his manager, but given Abramovich's behavior, you wonder just how much input Ranieri has. You also have to wonder whether a top, blue-chip star will want to join Chelsea when it's unclear who the manager will be.

It certainly would have been more logical to either:

a.) Thank Ranieri for his time, sack him and find another boss as soon as possible;

or, b.) Recognize that the current Chelsea boss took the club into the Champions League without spending a penny last summer and therefore pledge to stick with him for at least another season

Either way, the Russian billionaire's arrival can only be beneficial for the game.

By reaching into his pocket and injecting serious cash into the game -- something he is bound to do, otherwise buying Chelsea would have made no sense -- he is going to provide some much-needed liquidity on the world transfer market.

Spending US$20 million or $30 million at a time will help redistribute funds and move players at a time when many clubs are stuck with guys they can't sell (or buy) because of inflated wages.

His arrival may also help spur TV companies and sponsors into action. After overspending wildly in the second half of the 1990s, they have all cut back drastically and, in some ways, the pendulum has swung too far.

True, making money out of soccer remains very difficult, but there are plenty of examples of clubs that -- with a little bit of savvy -- can be successful and (relatively) profitable and there is no reason why sponsors should not back them.

Abramovich on his own won't drive up wages.

And, unless he truly does decide to burn all his billions, he won't turn Chelsea into a Real Madrid-type juggernaut (though he probably has the funds to so).

Which is why he ought to be welcomed... though Chelsea fans may want to remind him that undermining your coach isn't exactly the best way to get off on the right foot.

Good week/Bad week

GOOD WEEK: For Frank Rijkaard's Barcelona, which picked up Mexican defender Rafael Marquez (from Monaco), Turkish goalkeeper Rustu Recber (from Fenerbahce) and winger Ricardo Quaresma (from Sporting Lisbon).

Two youngsters on the verge of stardom and one of the top-five goalkeepers in the world, all for around US$13 million... not a bad piece of business.

BAD WEEK: For Harry Kewell, who finally clinched his move from Leeds to Liverpool, though not without heaps of acrimony and nasty accusations between his agent, Bernie Mandic, and Leeds chairman John McKenzie. It's a shame that Kewell, who is genuinely attached to Leeds (which is why he turned down the opportunity to join rival Manchester United) should leave under such a cloud.

GOOD WEEK: For Ajax, who managed to get the most (around US$20 million) it could possibly get in this slow transfer market for prized defender Christian Chivu, who moved to Roma. The temptation to settle for less must have been strong, but the Dutch club stuck to its guns and made a killing. In fact, it's the kind of deal that could leave all parties satisfied. Chivu had outgrown Dutch football and was ready for a bigger league. Roma gets the most promising young defender in the game, a guy who, with Walter Samuel, forms one of the top defensive partnerships around.

(However, FIFA on Thursday blocked Chivu's move to Roma because the Italian side owes money to Peruvian club Sporting Cristal.)

BAD WEEK: For La Liga and the Premiership, whose 20-team structure has been attacked by FIFA supremo Sepp Blatter. He wants to see top leagues reduced to 16 clubs and will raise the issue when FIFA meets again in Doha, Qatar. Eighteen teams is the logical compromise solution and it would not be such a bad thing: It would help avoid diluting talent, reduce the number of meaningless games late in the season and, most importantly, reduce the number of overall matches.

 

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