CHELSEA owner Roman Abramovich missed Saturday’s FA Cup Final at Wembley while he is waiting for his UK visa to be renewed.
The British authorities are yet to approve the Russian oligarch’s application after his visa expired last month, it’s been reported.
The Sun online has learned the multi-billionaire IS in the process of renewing the paperwork, however it is taking longer than usual.
The news comes as political tensions between Moscow and the West reach breaking point – following the high-profile poisoning of former KGB spy Sergei Skripal.
London-based Abramovich – who is reportedly Britain’s 13th-richest man – returned to Russia after his investor visa ran out, according to two people close to the tycoon.
Abramovich was not at yesterday’s FA Cup final, which Chelsea, the team he owns, won 1-0 after a goal from Eden Hazard.
The football-mad businessman is a regular fixture in the directors’ box at Stamford Bridge and is always present for big matches.
A person close to 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.
There was no denial on the visa problem story from Roman Abramovich’s aide John Mann.
The Home Office also declined to comment.
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Earlier this year we told how Abramovich had been given permission to live in Jersey as a “high-value resident”, it has been revealed.
The 51-year-old already has business interests in the island, but it is not known whether he intends to take up residency or whether he has been house-hunting locally.
Abramovich made his fortune in oil and aluminium following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
He is known for his jet set lifestyle, private yachts, art deals and ownership of Chelsea – which he bought in 2003.
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