Roman Abramovich lifted the lid on why he bought Chelsea instead of West Ham after saving the life of a Hammers fan.
Abramovich was forced to sell Chelsea following the Russian invasion of Ukraine with American Todd Boehly taking over at Stamford Bridge.
Ironically billionaire Boehly was once touted for a West Ham takeover in the past.
Well it seems Abramovich could well have ended up at West Ham before he bought Chelsea and went on to deliver almost two decades of unprecedented success.
They say location is everything. And it seems it was for the Russian billionaire too when it came to deciding which Premier League club he wanted to buy back in 2003.
Because Abramovich lifted the lid on why he bought Chelsea instead of West Ham after saving the life of Hammers fan and British POW Shaun Pinner.
West Ham supporting hostage Pinner says he was electrocuted, stabbed, subjected to a mock execution and forced to listen to ABBA during his time in captivity.
Having previously served in the Royal Anglian Regiment, Shaun – who is married to a Ukrainian – was in the Ukraine army as a contract soldier.
Shaun claims he was stung with a cattle prod by guards when he revealed he was a West Ham fan after being asked what football team he supported while in captivity.
For months in prison, Shaun, 48, survived on rations of stale bread and dirty water and he told The Sun his experience was ‘hell on Earth’.
But this particular West Ham fan found an unlikely ally synonymous with the club’s fierce London rivals Chelsea.
Last week, Shaun feared his execution was coming after he was told to pack his things.
Instead, he was part of a prisoner exchange brokered by Roman Abramovich.
Roman Abramovich lifts lid on why he bought Chelsea instead of West Ham after saving the life of Hammers fan
Speaking to The Sun, Shaun revealed Abramovich ‘truly’ saved his life and then lifted the lid on why he bought Chelsea instead of West Ham.
“I thought I was going to die. It was hell on Earth,” Shaun told The Sun.
“The past six months have been the worst days of my life…
“I told him he really looked like Roman Abramovich. He replied, ‘That’s because I am’.
“He said he was working with humanitarian aid. We got a picture with him and I asked him why he didn’t buy West Ham and he said because Chelsea was closer to his house.
“He truly did save my life.”
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