Skip to content
Support Us

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

The Chelsea owner hasn't been to see a game in quite a while. Jed Leicester/PA Images

Russian billionaire Abramovich granted Israeli citizenship after UK visa issues: reports

It had been reported that the Chelsea owner’s visa in the UK had run out and was taking longer than usual to renew.

RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE AND Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich arrived in Israel today after receiving citizenship of the Jewish state, local Channel 10 television reported.

“He landed today in his private aircraft at (Tel Aviv’s) Ben Gurion airport and was presented with an Israeli identity card,” the commercially-owned station said on its evening newscast.

An official at Nativ, a department of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office dealing with Jewish communities in the ex-Soviet Union, said Abramovich had applied for an immigration visa at Israel’s embassy in Moscow, the station said earlier on its website.

“His documents were examined under the ‘Law of Return’ and he was indeed entitled to immigrant status in Israel, and as a result he was issued an immigration visa,” it added.

Spokesmen for Netanyahu’s office contacted by AFP did not confirm or deny the report.

Israel’s Law of Return gives every Jew, or child or grandchild of a Jew, the right to Israeli citizenship on demand.

According to media reports, Abramovich’s British visa has run out and the application process for a new visa has been taking longer than usual.

Amid a spiralling diplomatic crisis between London and Moscow over the poisoning of a former Russian double agent, there have been calls in Britain for sanctions that would hurt super-rich Russians with homes in London.

Abramovich formally has residency in Jersey in the Channel Islands, a tax haven, but has never taken it up.

The Sunday Times put his wealth at £9.3 billion (€10.65 billion) on its Rich List this year. He has owned Chelsea since 2003.

© – AFP 2018

Author
View 64 comments
Close
64 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Brian Carr
    Favourite Brian Carr
    Report
    Mar 24th 2020, 8:34 PM

    9 out 10 another reason to hate frozen

    35
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Andro-Ace Bunny
    Favourite Andro-Ace Bunny
    Report
    Mar 25th 2020, 12:10 AM

    @Brian Carr: Got that question wrong, huh? XD

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan Sower
    Favourite Alan Sower
    Report
    Mar 25th 2020, 9:17 AM

    @Brian Carr: let it go mate

    17
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Matthew Gorman
    Favourite Matthew Gorman
    Report
    Mar 24th 2020, 9:15 PM

    Love those final options.

    22
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Modern Irish Dad
    Favourite Modern Irish Dad
    Report
    Mar 24th 2020, 8:35 PM

    Questions 3: Always read the question before answering it.

    18
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Vin
    Favourite Vin
    Report
    Mar 24th 2020, 10:25 PM

    Sponsored articles should be labelled as ads

    8
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Block a Tron
    Favourite Block a Tron
    Report
    Mar 24th 2020, 11:33 PM

    1 out of 10 legend

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Pauline Gallagher
    Favourite Pauline Gallagher
    Report
    Mar 24th 2020, 10:56 PM

    Got Mary Poppins one wrong.

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Tierney
    Favourite John Tierney
    Report
    Mar 25th 2020, 12:50 PM

    7 out of 10 and all guessed. Not a great quiz.

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Andro-Ace Bunny
    Favourite Andro-Ace Bunny
    Report
    Mar 25th 2020, 12:14 AM

    If I’m not mistaking, the first answer really is ‘It’s the path unwinding’, or to be exact, the lyric is actually: “Till we find our way, for the path unwinding.”

    Unless that first one was only a trick question, I’d sorta understand…

    1
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a comment

 
cancel reply
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds