Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has settled a libel dispute with HarperCollins and Putin’s People author Catherine Belton, receiving an apology from both.
The High Court ruled last month that the 2020 book charting Vladimir Putin’s rise to power contained nine defamatory statements about Mr Abramovich, including that he bought the Premier League club in 2003 on Vladimir Putin’s instructions.
A spokesperson for the 55 year-old businessman said: “We are pleased that today’s changes and the resulting apology address the false allegations made on this subject and look forward to further developing Chelsea’s many positive initiatives in the UK, most notably our programmes combatting antisemitism and racism.”
The statement added that Mr Abramovich's ambition with Chelsea FC had “always been clear and transparent: to create world-class teams on the pitch and to ensure the club plays a positive role in all of its communities.”