Roman Abramovich meets Chelsea Women before game against Israeli national team
Jewish philanthropist who owns the Blues met up with the London side ahead of their historic fixture against the national side
Roman Abramovich sprung a surprise visit on Chelsea Women as Emma Hayes’ squad toured Jerusalem’s historic sites.
The Chelsea owner met the Blues’ women stars on Monday, talking at length and posing for pictures with the squad.
Chelsea Women were facing the Israel national side in Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening, with a 13,000 capacity crowd expected at the Ha Moshava Stadium.
Head coach Hayes admitted last term’s Women’s Champions League semi-finalists were handed a big boost by Abramovich’s visit.
“I didn’t tell them where we were going,” Hayes told PA. “So that was great to surprise them with that. And they were like giggling teenagers when we went into the room.
“But once Millie Bright and Carly Telford went up and asked for pictures, all the girls were asking for individual shots.
“But we spent time not just talking about this game, but the season ahead, our work over the last season and seasons before, and how proud he is of the team and what we do.
“It’s such a boost to the players, and especially in Jerusalem, it was a wonderful experience for all of them.”
Chelsea remain committed to their Say No to Anti-Semitism campaign, that is heavily backed by owner Abramovich.
The Russian-born Israeli citizen was one of the driving forces behind Chelsea’s friendly against New England Revolution in May, with the owners of both clubs donating 1million US dollars (£823,000) to related charities.
The Chelsea squad enjoyed a walking tour of ancient Jerusalem, with club owner Abramovich meeting them at the Western Wall.
“We had a really moving experience, which finished up with us writing private notes that we then placed in the Western Wall, as is the tradition,” said Hayes.
“They were reminders of all the things we need in life, not want, and all the things that matter.
“It was a wonderful day for all the staff and players.
A special good luck message for the Blues ahead of tonight's match against the Israeli women's national team! ????#CFCWinIsrael pic.twitter.com/9oM4mKUcmL
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) August 20, 2019
“The fact we got to spend the time in Israel with Roman, rather than just on the training pitch, not only shows his commitment to women’s football, but it also showcases the women’s game, and the massive impact of the visit not just for the young people here and for the players too.
“So it’s hugely significant. Going to Jerusalem meant an awful lot to a lot of people.
“We sat around at dinner talking about how important it is understanding the history of this region, seeing the value of human life, the love of working for a football club that promotes such wonderful values and supports its women’s football team in the way we have.
“And it was all-round such a brilliant self-reflective day, and one to have time with our owner that we all thoroughly enjoyed.
“This experience has been immensely spiritual for everyone. It’s brought us close together and reinforced the value of life and taking care of each other.”
Another amazing morning at the @IsraelFA training centre! ????☀️@ErinCuthbert_ joined us for our coaching and ‘Female Empowerment in Sport’ sessions (and there was time for a Q & A too!)#CFCWinIsrael pic.twitter.com/rDp5MLwEKA
— Chelsea Foundation (@CFCFoundation) August 20, 2019
Chelsea spent Sunday morning coaching youngsters from both Israel and Palestine as their pre-season tour of Israel revolves around far more than match preparation.
Stamford Bridge chairman Bruce Buck admitted he has found his first visit to Israel a powerful experience.
“We thought that bringing the women’s team to Israel, we wanted to give them some life experiences, some broadening experiences,” Buck told PA.
“This is my first visit to Israel, and yesterday was very powerful.
“We’re quite happy with our Say No to Anti-Semitism campaign; we’re going to continue it and we’re hoping we’re making an impact.
“We hope we can convince other clubs to launch their own similar projects, and we’ll take that one step at a time.
“It’s very difficult to measure progress, but we do strongly believe in what we’re doing. We believe education is the way to go, and hopefully over time we can make some small contribution to solving the problem.”
Palestinian and Jewish children playing football together this morning in Tel Aviv, thanks to @ChelseaFC and the Peres Centre for Peace. The day this event can take place in Ramallah is the day both sides will truly have a shared future. @JewishNewsUK pic.twitter.com/cZ7fZ7sZof
— Richard Ferrer ???? (@richferrer) August 18, 2019
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
