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ABRAMOVICH LOSSES PLAYED DOWN
Roman Abramovich's advisers have played down suggestions that the Chelsea owner's fortune has been diminished following the stock market crash.
Reports suggested Abramovich had lost up to £12billion after losses on two of his investments - steel making company Evraz, and Highland Gold, a mining company.
However, a spokesman for the Russian, John Mann, is quoted in The Daily Telegraph as saying:
"The figure is just as arbitrary as those you see in Forbes every year and we don't put any stock by them."
The paper claims that the losses have been exaggerated by associates of the Russian, and in any case they are 'paper' losses, and his cash and property assets will not be affected.
Chelsea are currently indebted to the tune of £730million, around £578million of which is in the form of an 'interest free loan' from Abramovich.
Should Abramovich choose to call in the loan, the club would have 18 months to find the money.
