Abramovich returns as show of Chelsea commitment
tribalfooball.com - February 15, 2007
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is back in London - the first time for more than a month - and will hold talks with manager Jose Mourinho.
The Times says Abramovich has barely spoken to his manager since a row at the start of January, but is planning to attend tomorrow's FA Cup fifth-round tie against Norwich City at Stamford Bridge.
Mourinho has not seen Abramovich since the Russian abandoned his usual practice of visiting Chelsea's dressing-room at the height of their stand-off after a 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic on January 13, the last game he attended. Abramovich has since missed six successive matches, an unprecedented level of absenteeism that has only served to further the impression of an irreparable rift with Mourinho.
With Chelsea fans giving their vocal backing to Mourinho at Stamford Bridge and suspicions that his interest is waning, Abramovich is keen to demonstrate that his commitment to the club is as strong as ever by attending the majority of games until the end of the season. The 40-year-old is planning to travel to Portugal for the first leg of Chelsea's Champions League first knockout round tie against FC Porto on Wednesday and will be in Cardiff for the Carling Cup final against Arsenal four days later.