Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich has not yet had his visa renewed after it expired last month, it has been reported. The billionaire, who did not attend yesterday's FA cup final which his team won 1-0 (bottom) is said to have returned to his homeland and can't enter Britain. Mr Abramovich (top) has a net worth of £9.3billion, and is the 13th richest man in the UK, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.
A source close to Mr Abramovich said that his request for a new visa had not been denied, but said that UK authorities were taking longer than usual to renew it without offering any explanation.
Sources close to the oligarch said his request for a new visa had not been denied, but UK authorities were taking longer than usual to renew it without offering any explanation.
It comes amid mounting diplomatic tensions between Britain and Russia after former spy Sergei Skripal was poisoned in Salisbury in March.
Britain has accused Russia of being behind the poisoning, saying it was caused by a type of nerve agent known as novichok which was developed in the Soviet Union.
There have been calls for sanctions that would hurt super rich Russian oligarchs who have homes in the UK.
Mr Abramovich has a net worth of £9.3billion, and is the 13th richest man in the UK, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.
Two people close to him have told the Financial Times that his investor visa has run out three weeks ago.
Mr Abramovich made his fortune in oil and aluminium following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
He has since embraced a glamorous lifestyle, with vast private yachts, art deals and his ownership of Chelsea, which he bought in 2003. His club beat Manchester United in the FA cup final at Wembley yesterday.
Although his £125million mansion in Kensington, west London is one of Abramovich's residences, he spends a lot of time in Moscow.
The news Mr Abramovich had not yet had his visa renewed was first reported by independent Russian website The Bell.
Flight records showed that the businessman's personal Boeing 767 aeroplane was last in London on April 1, the publication added.
He also did not testify last week in a London court dispute between two other Russian oligarchs, Oleg Deripaska and Vladimir Potanin.
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