Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel snaps at a journalist in his news conference over questions were put to him about Ukraine and Roman Abramovich.
The Blues boss has demanded those to stop asking him for his views on the Ukraine-Russia war because he feels ‘bad’ and that he’s ‘not a politician’.
The visibly annoyed Tuchel was taking questions ahead of his side’s FA Cup clash with Luton Town on Wednesday but was dealt with a number of times on the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, yet he must be fed up of having to be faced with this and instead wants to just focus on the game in hand. .
Reporters also tried to ask the German on Abramovich after he announced that he planned to hand Chelsea over to the club’s trustees following the fallout in eastern Europe.
However, when asked about the horrors of war in his Tuesday press conference, Tuchel hit back and demanded not to be asked questions on Ukraine.
Thomas Tuchel snaps at a Journalist for continuing to press him for answers about the war and Abramovich. pic.twitter.com/XbpsQizmzU
— Pys (@CFCPys) March 1, 2022
‘Listen, listen, listen you have to stop, I’m not a politician,’ Tuchel told a reporter when asked about the situation in Ukraine.
‘You have to stop, honestly, I can only repeat it and I feel bad to repeat it because I’ve never experienced war.
‘So even to talk about it I feel bad because I’m very privileged – I sit here in peace.
“I do the best I can but you have to stop asking me these questions because I have no answers for you.’
Tuchel slammed the table after being asked for his opinion on the conflict and Abramovich’s current status as owner of Chelsea.
Earlier on in the press conference, Tuchel spoke on how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was seriously impacting him as you can tell in his face – but revealed he and the players were looking to remain focused on the club’s upcoming fixtures, clearly trying to steer the conversation away.
‘It’s horrible. It’s horrible,’ Tuchel said when asked about the war. ‘There can’t be any other opinion about it, but why should we be more distracted by you. It’s out there. We know there are more important things out there. This will never change.
‘Everyone in Europe has noise in their head that nobody likes. Still you try to come to work and try to do the best in your job as possible.’
When asked whether Abramovich should have a role in football, Tuchel responded: ‘It’s too much for me to answer. I am not aware of the details and the whole situation.
‘There are situations much more important than football, this will never change. Situations like war are so much more important.’
This comes after a number of days of speculation with Abramovich announcing his intention to place the stewardship of the club in the hands of the trustees of the Chelsea Foundation.
As a result, the trustees of the Chelsea Foundation have made a serious incident report to the Charity Commission who are seeking further information from the trustees after the big announcement.
It’s understood the Foundation’s six trustees had a meeting on Sunday and are seeking legal clarity and advice from the Commission over how, and whether, the Russian billionaire’s proposal can be enacted, state the Daily Mail.
Trustees are understood to be concerned over conflicts of interest which may arise from them holding stewardship of the club, and whether a suitable legal structure can be put in place to afford them stewardship that falls within Charity Commission guidelines.
Abramovich’s rare statement came two days after Russia invaded Ukraine, and followed calls for him to be banned from owning Chelsea and other UK assets by Labour MP Chris Bryant.
A spokesperson for Abramovich however said that the oligarch was attempting to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine.
Chelsea expect to work out how the club and the foundation can remain separate entities if they are run by the same people, although some trustees may choose to leave due to their own misgivings.
Abramovich said in a statement issued on Saturday night: ‘During my nearly 20-year ownership of Chelsea FC, I have always viewed my role as a custodian of the club, whose job it is ensuring that we are as successful as we can be today, as well as build for the future, while also playing a positive role in our communities.
‘I have always taken decisions with the club’s best interest at heart. I remain committed to these values. That is why I am today giving trustees of Chelsea’s charitable Foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea FC.
‘I believe that currently they are in the best position to look after the interests of the club, players, staff, and fans.’
Twitter users reacted as Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel snaps at a journalist over Ukraine and Roman Abramovich questions put to him…
@MafiaBo33: Matt law asking the question isn’t it?
@ObengAbrahamNYK: My manager just lost a final and these people are asking him about some fucking war🤦♂️🤦♂️
@CFCARMY12: Good on Tuchel. My manager 💙
@Millarcfc: He deals w everything so well
@Cfcmarley11: He honestly knows how to handle the situation…. Mou would have created a scene😭
@ChelseaFCSkye: That was way more composed then most of us would be
@Chelsea______97: Can already see parts of this response being edited to pointscore and suit agendas. No one is going to be bothered by the brilliant response he gave prior to the final where he called out warmongers.
@KhairulCFC_: Stop the unnecessary questions. This can be frustrating for Tuchel especially as he still has injury problems in his unfinished team. Damn is he a famous journalist?
@wheezy_khiddy: this is what I want to see, like stop linking every aspect of Roman’s part of this to football. Everything about Roman and Russia don’t necessarily have to be linked to the club. Politics aside and Football on the other side.
@cef_cfc: He’s not wrong.
@angie_cfc: tell them tuchel
@Ace12Adam: He was angry. Good on him
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