With Roman Abramovich On The Ropes, His Good Works Are On Hold
What happens to worthy projects launched by tainted oligarchs?
In better days: Roman Abramovich celebrates a victory by his Chelsea Football Club in the British Premier League.
This has been a very bad week for Roman Abramovich.
Just last weekend the name of the Russian oligarch and philanthropist was chanted enthusiastically by the crowd at a home match of the London-based Chelsea Football Club he owns. Loyal fans often have shown their appreciation for Abramovich, who was a regular at matches and poured a fortune of money into the team for almost two decades, making Chelsea a winner – and the envy of soccer teams around the world.
Though cheered by fans, Abramovich, 55, was, effectively, jeered a few days later in the British Parliament for his close ties to Vladimir Putin. By week’s end the government imposed sanctions on the man accused of having “clear connections” to the Russian leader, one of seven oligarchs charged with having “blood on their hands.”
Abramovich’s beloved Chelsea club is now in limbo.
And so are several impressive philanthropic projects he created and funded in the areas of Holocaust education and combating anti-Semitism.The most recent, announced only three weeks ago, was a planned “long-term strategic partnership” with Yad Vashem designed to expand the Israeli Holocaust memorial center’s “research activities at a time when Holocaust distortion, denial and politicization are rising alarmingly worldwide,” according to a press release announcing the agreement.
On Thursday, Yad Vashem suspended its association with Abramovich.
Also up in the air is the fate of “Say No To Anti-Semitism,” a unique multi-layered project that was launched in 2018, aimed at countering hateful acts and chants emanating from the stands of soccer stadiums in England and across Europe.
Whether or not these and other worthy, non-profit undertakings will survive the harsh glare of attention now on Abramovich remains to be determined. My intention here is not to pass judgment on him but to shed some light on his ambitious global awareness campaign against anti-Semitism in the world of soccer (or football, as the world’s most popular sport is known everywhere but in the U.S).
A Coincidence Of Timing
Until a few weeks ago, I knew little about Abramovich other than that he was one of the world’s richest men, that he made a fortune in Russia when the USSR collapsed three decades ago, and that he had homes around the world, including England, New York and Israel. And I confess that I don’t follow soccer, beyond watching “Ted Lasso” on Apple TV+.
But in late February, I received a call from a friend who has connections with leaders of international Jewish organizations. He told me about the “Say No To Anti-Semitism” effort, little-known in America, and I was intrigued. After exploring the website and talking to someone in England close to the program, I decided it was worth exploring..
I was scheduled to interview a key Chelsea Club official about the program when, soon after Putin launched his savage attack on Ukraine, my contacts in England stopped responding to me. No doubt they have been dealing with the major crisis, which finds the team as frozen in place as Abramovich’s assets.
As the drama plays out, here’s a look into how the “Say No To Anti-Semitism” project came about, what it has accomplished, and how it may prove to be a model for anti-bias campaigns, particularly in sports, around the world.
A History Of Hooliganism
Soccer in Europe has a long history of spirited rivalries among loyal fans, many from working-class neighborhoods, that can get out of hand at matches. Too often over the years, confrontations in the stands turn into ugly brawls and incidents of racism and ethnic bias. Sometimes the ire is directed at players on the field, sometimes at rival fans, and often is expressed online.
In the last five or six years, these outbreaks of hooliganism have reached “epidemic level,” according to anti-racist and pro-inclusion groups who monitor the sport. They assert that the combination of growing nationalism, economic hardship, ever-sharper political divisions, increased public expressions of racism, and the use of social media to spread hateful material have all contributed to the toxic atmosphere.
Chelsea, whose club dates back to 1905, has had a reputation, particularly during the 1970s and ‘80s, for dangerously rowdy behavior, including anti-Semitic incidents.
Abramovich, who purchased the Chelsea team in 2003, spoke out on occasion against violence and incidents of prejudice. Last year he wrote a letter directly to the Chelsea players, pledging to “personally direct more funds” to anti-racism efforts. The letter was prompted by a barrage of abusive social media aimed at a player of color on the team.
But Abramovich’s most significant project in terms of countering discrimination has been “Say No To Anti-Semitism,” launched in January 2018, a few days before Holocaust Memorial Day. A special ceremony was held on the field, and British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis took part in a candle-lighting ceremony, along with Jewish communal leaders and a Holocaust survivor. The day is marked each year at the Chelsea stadium.
Among other activities, players and coaches have made videos speaking out against the hatred of Jews; a Chelsea exhibition match took place in Boston, arranged in coordination with Abramovich’s friend and New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft; and a mural of Jewish soccer players who died in the Holocaust was displayed at the stadium and became an exhibition. (Visit www.49flames.com)
As part of the effort to educate fans, and particularly young people, about the Holocaust and anti-Semitism and to promote tolerance, “Say No” expanded to other professional soccer leagues and partnered with a number of organizations, including the World Jewish Congress, Jewish Museum London, the Office of the British Chief Rabbi, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Anti-Defamation League.
What happens now?
There had been talk of making the “Say No” campaign global, including bringing it to professional sports teams – baseball, football, basketball and soccer – in the U.S.
But everything is on hold now.
Regardless of Roman Abramovich's fate, it would be more than a shame if his innovative philanthropic work in educating a new generation about the Holocaust and the history and consequences of racial and ethnic hatred becomes another victim of his flamed-out public disgrace.