Chance to buy Chelsea ‘came from horrific brutality shown by Russia’

The former chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council has acknowledged that the “horrific” war in Ukraine had inadvertently led to an opportunity for him and his business partners to buy Chelsea Football Club.

As keynote speaker at a Norwood Property lunch, Jonathan Goldstein, told a near 600-strong audience that “you can’t talk about Chelsea without referencing the war in Ukraine, and that the opportunity arose [to buy the club] came out of the war and the brutality shown by the Russians towards the Ukrainian people”. The war had triggered sanctions by the West against many Russian oligarchs, including Roman Abramovich, who was forced to put Chelsea up for sale.

Goldstein is a passionate Tottenham Hotspur supporter, but, to laughter, he said he had no problem with remaining a Spurs fan while becoming part-owner of Chelsea.

He said: “In life, decisions have consequences and sometimes they are unforeseen consequences. We, as a team, are mindful every day of the surroundings and the circumstances in which we were operating — and we were respectful of that.”

Goldstein added: “There are opportunities that you get in life to become involved in the sport you love, with a world-leading brand, in the greatest city in the world… I”m proud to be part of the team that has helped deliver new ownership to Chelsea, and hopefully there will be great success at Chelsea in the future”.

His response came at the conclusion of a high-octane motivational speech in which he reminisced about his business and communal careers. He said: “We must always remind ourselves that we don’t live in a vacuum. We share a moral responsibility to take care of those who have been less fortunate, and to out our mouths and our monies to good use. We all share the same resources and the same planet; we have a responsibility to one another, to preserve and protect what we have for those who follow”.

He urged his audience to challenge themselves on a daily basis by getting outside their comfort zones, and find a way of giving back to society and their community.

Two adults who have been the recipients of Norwood’s groundbreaking help, Michael and Gillian, addressed the appreciative audience, telling people how Norwood had helped them live full and independent lives. Michael said: “Norwood is the best thing that ever happened to me”.

The charity’s chair, Neville Kahn, made the appeal, while a Norwood Recognition award was presented to Mark Pollock, the co-chair of the Property Lunch event, to honour his long-time commitment to Norwood.