Morgan doubles down on Abramovich remarks with response to Chelsea statement

Piers Morgan has accused Chelsea of "weasel words" after they published a meek statement commenting on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

It was released less than 24 hours after Roman Abramovich, the Blues' oligarch owner, announced he was handing over the "stewardship and care" of the club to their charitable foundation.

This prompted a bitter reaction from Morgan, who slammed Abramovich for failing to condemn Vladimir Putin for bringing war to Eastern Europe or disprove speculation he is a "puppet" of the Russian president.

The former Good Morning Britain host and lifelong Arsenal fan wrote on Twitter : "Where is the condemnation of Putin's invasion of Ukraine?

"If Abramovich really wants to prove he's not a Putin puppet, he should denounce the war loudly and clearly. But he won't..."

Does Roman Abramovich need to confirm his stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine? Have your say in the comments...

In their separate statement released on Sunday morning, Chelsea simply wrote: "The situation in Ukraine is horrific and devastating. Chelsea FC's thoughts are with everyone in Ukraine. Everyone at the club is praying for peace."

Strikingly, the Blues made no mention of Russia or Putin, so Morgan once again took to social media to blast the club for their "weasel words".

"More weasel words," he wrote. "Let's see a statement from your Russian owner and long-time friend of Putin that specifically condemns the illegal invasion."

While the exact nature of Abramovich's relationship with Putin is unclear, they have known each other for many decades.

A high court judge observed in 2012 that the Chelsea owner had "very good relations" with Putin and "privileged access to" him, but found there was nothing to suggest he was in a position to "pull the presidential strings".

It also remains unclear whether Abramovich supports Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Very simple question for Abramovich: do you support the war or not? If he does, or won't say, he should be barred from owning any UK football club or business," Morgan wrote in a further tweet on Saturday night.

Calls for Abramovich to face a potential ban on owning Chelsea or have his assets seized echo claims made by Labour MP Chris Bryant in the House of Commons on Thursday.

Bryant declared he has seen a leaked Home Office document from 2019 which shows Abramovich "remains of interest to HMG [Her Majesty's Government] due to his links to the Russian state and his public association with corrupt activity and practices".

The MP went on to say: "Surely Mr Abramovich should no longer be able to own a football club in this country?

"Surely we should be looking at seizing some of his assets, including his £152million home, and making sure that other people who've had tier one visas like this are not engaged in malign activity in the UK?"