Thomas Tuchel backs Roman Abramovich's 'right decision' over Chelsea sale

West Ham vice-chairman Baroness Karen Brady admitted that on one of the first times she encountered Roman Abramovich, he turned up with armed bodyguards.Brady has spoken about the Russian oligarch putting Chelsea up for sale in a detailed tribute to her relations with the club. The 52-year-old said that Abramovich, who has just put the Blues on the market, once turned up to an FA Cup match at Birmingham City's St Andrew's Stadium with personnel carrying firearms.Writing in The Sun, Brady said: “I was in place at Birmingham City when Abramovich came to watch as we played Chelsea in the FA Cup."There were rumours he was a dodgy man with dodgy money.

Vladimir Putin’s forces are making less progress than he expected in Ukraine, and the Russian leader is facing a battle at home too as he bids to control public and political criticism. Despite public protests being illegal in Russia, many Russians have risked arrest to demonstrate against the war in the streets of Moscow and other major Russian cities.

Nick Cave has responded to criticism over his views on Palestine after cancelling forthcoming gigs in Russia and Ukraine.Earlier this week (March 1), Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds announced that they had cancelled their scheduled concerts in Russia and Ukraine this summer due to Vladimir Putin’s invasion, saying: “Ukraine, we stand with you.”In a post on his Red Hand Files website, Cave responded to a fan criticising him for cancelling these gigs, but refusing to do so with shows in Israel back in 2017, when he went ahead with shows and told local press that doing so would be a defiant statement against anyone “who tries to censor and silence musicians”.“At the end of the day, there’s maybe two reason why I’m here. One is that I love Israel and I love Israeli people, and two is to make a principled stand against anyone who tries to censor and silence musicians,” Cave said at the time.

Stevie Wonder has spoken out in support of the Ukraine, which he says is “in a battle for the soul of the world” due to it ongoing conflict with Russia.In a video statement shared on Friday (March 4), the Motown legend condemned Russia’s “evil” invasion and called for people to rise up in order to “prevent World War III”.“Can we survive if Ukraine does not? That is the question that all of us should ask,” Wonder began. “Are we surprised that the forces of evil are alive and aggressive in today’s world? I’m not surprised, and you shouldn’t be either. I write and sing about it because I can feel it. You should know about it because you can see, unless you have a blind eye to it and don’t want to do anything about it, you should see it.”“This is not just a Ukrainian war,” he continued.

Rammstein have spoken out in support of the Ukraine in light of the country’s ongoing conflict with Russia.It comes after Ukraine severed diplomatic ties with Russia and declared martial law after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an attack on the neighbouring nation last month (February 24).On Friday (March 4), the German band took to social media to post an image of Ukraine’s blue and yellow flag with the Rammstein logo in the middle, showing their support for those affected by the attacks.“The band Rammstein wishes to express its support for the nation of Ukraine as it resists the shocking attack perpetrated by the Russian government,” they wrote.

Thomas Tuchel has hit out at Chelsea's fans for their 'lack of respect' after they chanted Roman Abramovich's name during a show of support for Ukraine at Turf Moor on Saturday.Reece James, Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic were all on the scoresheet as four second-half strikes saw the Blues run riot against Sean Dyche's side in a game marred by the pre-match scenes.Prior to kick-off, Burnley held a minutes applause as a show of solidarity with Ukraine in response to Russia's recent invasion of the country.However, the Clarets' tribute was spoiled as a section of Chelsea's travelling faithful opted to show their appreciation for the club's owner Abramovich, who this week declared his intentions to sell the club.In the aftermath of his side's Turf Moor triumph, Tuchel subsequently slammed some of his own supporters for their involvement in the chant."It's not the moment to do this," the German declared. "Listen, if we show solidarity we show solidarity and we should do it together."We take the knee together and if an important person from our club or another club unfortunately dies, we show a minute of respect."It's not the moment to give other messages.

Chelsea strengthen their grip on third spot as they cruised to a 4-0 win over Burnley. Despite the final result, the Blues were fortunate to go in level at the break after Dwight McNeill blazed over from six-yards following a gaffe from Edouard Mendy.But whatever Thomas Tuchel said to his side at half-time clearly did the trick, as the Blues burst into life.Reece James drilled a venomous strike through a sea of Claret shirts to nudge Chelsea into the lead just two minutes after the break.

Roman Abramovich has reportedly been in Turkey to discuss the sale of Chelsea to Turkish billionaire Muhsin Bayrak.The Russian is desperate to find a buyer after being forced to cut ties with the club in the wake of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine last week.It's understood that Abramovich is looking for bids of around £3 billion, but the hurried nature of the sale means he'll probably struggle to get that much.A number of potential buyers have announced their interest, including Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and American tycoon Todd Boehly who have planned a joint-bid.But Bayrak has emerged as the latest frontrunner after claiming "the Turkish flag will fly in London" earlier this week.Abramovich, who is waiving £1.5 billion worth of debt the club owes him, appears to want to ensure Chelsea falls into the right hands, and has spent the last few days speaking with the prospective buyers.The Russian's £48 million private plane was spotted landing in Istanbul on Wednesday, before moving on to the Turkish capital of Ankara, and it's understood that Abramovich has met with Bayrak in person to discuss a deal.Bayrak claims that he has been locked in talks with the Chelsea owner and ever insists he is "in the negotiation phase for the signatures".Do you think Abramovich will sell to the highest bidder or to whoever he thinks he will be best for Chelsea? Let us know in the comments section...Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news?Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star football email newsletter!From the latest transfer news to the agenda-setting stories, get it all in your email inbox - don't miss a thing.It only takes a matter of seconds.Simply type your email address into the box at the top of

Vladimir Putin about a weapon "worse than a nuclear bomb" have added to fears around Russia looking set to take the invasion of Ukraine to a dangerous next level. His comments, from a October 2017 youth festival in Sochi, may have been a signal of his early intent to go to any extreme on the battlefield.The Russian President seemed convinced the world would soon witness super-human soldiers who cannot feel pain or fear.He said: “A man has the opportunity to get into the genetic code created by either nature, or as religious people would say, by God.“All kinds of practical consequences may follow.

Ukraine as the conflict continues to worsen amid Vladimir Putin's invasion.Experts have warned that the Russian President could be ready to take the war to a new level as Ukrainian forces have managed to largely repel his force's advances. There are fears that the power-mad ruler has sarin gas, one of the most toxic and fast-acting chemical weapons ever created.The concerns follow news that Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said that the US was developing “biological materials” in Ukraine, reports the Telegraph.Mr Lavrov said Moscow had information that the US was “worried it would lose control” over alleged chemical weapons sites in Ukraine.One expert, Washington’s ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said "nothing is off the table with this guy," referring to the Russian president.

Before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy entered politics and found himself in charge of his country's fight against Russia's Vladimir Putin, he led a life as an on-screen performer. A former comedian, Zelenskyy, 44, starred as a head of state in the 2017 political satire "Servant of the People," which is also the name of the real-life political party he founded.

Chelsea and the Russian oligarch will not consider bids from either China or Saudi Arabia.Abramovich announced his intentions to sell Chelsea for the "best interests of the club".The statement came just days after Abramovich had announced his intention to hand the 'stewardship' of Chelsea over to its trustees.But, according to Reuters, Abramovich is in no rush to sell Chelsea, even with the possibilities of sanctions against the Russian oligarch. The news of the sale follows Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, but there is no suggestion Abramovich is in any way linked to the situation.Chelsea have asked Joe Ravitch, the co-founder of investment bank Raine Group LLC, to find a buyer for the club.Ravitch said: "We are not going to rush anything.

After 192 performances at the Metropolitan Opera, soprano Anna Netrebko will not be performing this year due to her support for Russian President Vladimir Putin.  The Met made several attempts to convince Netrebko, who has made statements critical of the war, to rebuke Putin but failed to persuade the singer. "It is a great artistic loss for the Met and for opera," General Manager Peter Gelb said in a statement Thursday.

Thomas Tuchel. I feel sorry for him. He's not a politician and he can't answer the sort of questions he's been getting.

Metropolitan Opera after her support for Vladimir Putin resurfaced amid Russia’s devastating invasion of Ukraine.Netrebko, 50, is one of the opera’s highest grossing box office superstars and her exit is a major blow to the Manhattan cultural establishment.“It is a great artistic loss for the Met and for opera,” Met General Manager Peter Gelb announced in a statement on Thursday. “Anna is one of the greatest singers in Met history, but with Putin killing innocent victims in Ukraine, there was no way forward.”Gelb said last Sunday that the Met would not continue to associate with artists who support Putin.

Chelsea beyond the departure of Roman Abramovich despite their 'long and close relationship'.Listed as a director by the Blues, Granovskaia runs the daily football operation from her Stamford Bridge office and oversees both incoming and outgoing managers and players.With Abramovich announcing his intention to sell the club earlier this week and interested parties asked to submit bids before March 15 - the future of Granovskaia has been pondered.However, latest reports suggest that there is a chance that the Russian-Canadian business executive will remain in west London - which would come as a boost to Thomas Tuchel.The Telegraph report that groups interested in the purchase of the club 'would be open' to the idea of Granovskaia remaining in an important role after Chelsea changes hands.Along with chairman Bruce Buck, many might've assumed that Granovskaia would move on to leave the club's leadership structure to the new owners.Granovskaia is said to have forged a 'close working relationship' with Champions League winning boss Tuchel, who reports to both her and technical and performance advisor Petr Cech.Will Chelsea win further major silverware under Thomas Tuchel? Give us your thoughts in the comments sectionAfter Granovskaia was named as the best director in European football for 2021 at the Golden Boy awards, she was hailed by the agent of Romelu Lukaku.Federico Pastorello told the Telegraph: "I’m proud to say I have a very good relationship with Marina and she is somebody I consider to be, 100 per cent, exceptional. She really is one of the best.

Russian vodka off their shelves for the "foreseeable future" over the invasion of Ukraine, becoming the first UK supermarket to do so.It comes as more than one million people have fled Ukraine while Vladimir Putin's bloody bombardment of the country enters its second week.Russian Standard is one the best selling vodkas in the UK, brought to our shores in 1998 by billionaire Roustam Tariko.It had been priced at £14 per 70cl bottle, but has now disappeared from Co-op's website. Explaining the move, a Co-op spokesperson said: "In response to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces and as a sign of solidarity with the people of Ukraine, we have taken the decision to remove from sale Russian-made vodka."Russian Standard has been taken off sale with immediate effect because it is overtly marketed as being Russian and produced there."It will not be stocked for the foreseeable future."They added: "Our members and customers will also be able to support the humanitarian response to help those displaced by the conflict by donating at our stores to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal."The appeal will launch across our 2,600 stores today (Thursday 3 March 2022) and we’ll be match funding our customers donations up to £100,000."Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine, and those in Russia who oppose this invasion."Although Co-op are the first supermarket move against Russian vodka, this isn't the first example of UK businesses showing solidarity with the Ukrainian cause.

Chelsea legend dedicated a message to Roman Abramovich.Bryant blasted Terry for his "appalling" tribute to the club’s owner, who recently put the club on sale.Abramovich confirmed on Wednesday that the Premier League club are up for sale in an emotional statement, with the oligarch setting the price at around £3billion.It comes as the billionaire - who bought Chelsea in 2003 for £140million - faces calls from Labour MPs to have his assets seized by the UK Government as they look to impose sanctions on Russian oligarchs who are alleged to be affiliated with Vladimir Putin.Abramovich has always rejected accusations of ties to Putin and the Kremlin. Nevertheless, Terry paid tribute to the owner online, posting a picture of them together with a Premier League trophy, one of 19 major trophies won in the Abramovich era.The 41-year-old wrote alongside it: “The best.” But the mark of respect by Terry has come under heavy fire by Byrant, who pointed to the war ongoing in Ukraine.

Russia's attack on Ukraine is going 'according to plan' and the violence is set to 'get worse', Vladimir Putin has warned.

Anna Netrebko, famous Russian soprano, will be banned from the Metropolitan Opera for the next two seasons after she failed to denounce Vladimir Putin amid his war on Ukraine.

“South Park” remains timely.