'Totally Wrong' - Deputy PM Slams Chelsea Fans Who Sang Roman Abramovich's Name During Ukraine Tribute
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has slammed Chelsea fans for singing Roman Abramovich's name during the tribute to Ukraine, calling their actions 'totally wrong'.
The minute's applause for the victims of Ukraine as a result of Russia's invasion during Burnley vs. Chelsea was marred by some chants from the away end.
A group of Chelsea fans chanted for outgoing owner Abramovich, who announced his shock decision to put the club up for sale due to links with Vladimir Putin.
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The Abramovich chant was drowned out by boos from the stands, with Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel hitting out at his own fans.
Raab, who's a Chelsea supporter, has echoed those sentiments as he condemned the chant during the Ukraine applause.
Speaking on BBC, he exclaimed: "I’m a Chelsea fan and I think it’s totally wrong.
"It would be a minority of fans doing it, and I thought Thomas Tuchel, the manager, was quite right to come out and be clear about his disagreement with that."
The Blues would go onto beat Burnley 4-0, but the talk after the game was that of the chant sang by a section of their travelling support.
"It was not the moment to do this."
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 5, 2022
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has reacted to Chelsea fans singing Roman Abramovich's name during Ukraine applause. pic.twitter.com/6uXhM5dNQp
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Tuchel said: "It's not the moment to do this. 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. It's the moment to show respect.
"We do this because this is what we are also as a club. We show respect as a club, and we need our fans to commit to this minute of applause.
"At this moment, we do it for Ukraine, and there is no second opinion about the situation there.
"They have our thoughts and our support. We should stand together as a club. It's not the moment for other messages."
Topics: Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea, Russia, Football
Nasir Jabbar