Chelsea is experiencing days of “civil war” between the club’s owners; understand
Businessman Todd Boehly and company Clearlake Capital dispute the shares and direction of Chelsea
Chelsea’s problems go far beyond the dressing room. The club’s owners, particularly American businessman Todd Boehly, and Behdad Eghbali, managing partner of Clearlake Capital, are in a “civil war” as they fight for power behind the scenes.
This was the tone adopted by several media outlets in England to address the issue in recent days. Both sides are reportedly preparing — which means raising billions of pounds — to buy out the co-owner.
According to several English newspapers, Boehly has reached an “unsustainable” point in his relationship with the company Clearlake Capital, led by Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano. The financial company, focused on private equity, is Chelsea’s largest shareholder, with 61.5% of the controlling shares. Boehly, together with his two partners Hansjorg Wyss and Mark Walter, holds 38.5%.
The main reason for this dispute is the conflicting visions about Chelsea’s future. Both sides are considering the drastic option of simply buying all the shares in the club and resolving the impasse. Boehly is said to have a “20 to 30 year” vision, with the prospect of building a new stadium, among other projects. Clearlake is said to be working with a commitment of little more than a decade.
There were also disagreements over player signings and the team’s performance in the Premier League .
Chelsea became the property of a consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehly in May 2022 (previously owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich). The club was acquired for around 5 billion euros (R$25.5 billion at the time).
