Funds from Roman Abramovich's sale of Chelsea FC have earned at least £175m in interest while frozen in a UK bank account, according to new company accounts, prompting one finance expert to dub the holding firm "the most profitable football business in the world". The sanctioned Russian billionaire pledged in 2022 to donate the sale proceeds to victims of the war in Ukraine, but the money remains locked up amid a legal dispute with the British government over how it should be spent, compounded by a separate Jersey criminal investigation into the origins of his wealth.

Accounts for Fordstam, Abramovich's former Chelsea ownership vehicle, show the proceeds have grown from an initial £2.35bn to nearly £2.5bn, earning £63m in interest in 2023 and £114m in 2024, with the total likely higher still given two further years have since passed. The funds sit in a Barclays account after Abramovich missed a March 2026 deadline to release them, with the government insisting the money must go to humanitarian causes in Ukraine while reports suggest Abramovich favours a foundation with broader global reach. Further complicating matters, £1.4bn in loans from his offshore Camberley International Investment vehicle may be deducted from any eventual donation, sanctions rules prevent repayment without Treasury approval, and Jersey prosecutors are investigating whether the sale proceeds constitute the proceeds of crime.