Accounts reveal Chelsea are still busting UEFA's fair play rules... by quite some distance

By Laura Williamson for MailOnline
Updated:

The extraordinary scale of Roman Abramovich's bid to make Chelsea the best team in Europe was laid bare yesterday, as accounts revealed the Russian has ploughed nearly £1billion into the club.

Since 2003 Abramovich, 44, has provided interest-free loans of £740million as well as spending £30m last summer and £73m on David Luiz and Fernando Torres in January.

Yet Chelsea's wage bill - which rose by £19.5m for the period ending June 2010 - still represents 82 per cent of turnover, far higher than the 70 per cent UEFA's financial fair play rules will allow.

No pressure: Despite Chelsea's ever growing wage bill, Ancelotti says he isn't feeling the heat to deliver Champions League success
No pressure: Despite Chelsea's ever growing wage bill, Ancelotti says he isn't feeling the heat to deliver Champions League success

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But Carlo Ancelotti insisted his position at Stamford Bridge does not hinge on winning the Champions League this season.

The Chelsea boss said: 'No, I don't think the decision on my future at the club rests on the Champions League. The club knows me, my behaviour, and they will take their decision on that.'

Score some goals! Ancelotti gets to grips with his £50m striker in training

Score some goals! Ancelotti gets to grips with his £50m striker in training

Ancelotti also said he may choose to drop £50m signing Torres for the second leg of Chelsea's quarter-final at Manchester United on Tuesday.

Chelsea must overturn a 1-0 deficit but Torres, 27, has yet to score in 617 minutes in a blue shirt.

Ancelotti said: 'Fernando might not start against United, of course. This is my job. I have to choose the players, not comparing the players with the money the club paid for them. Fernando knows this very well (and) Roman's so intelligent he'd never ask me to do this.'

The Chelsea manager would not confirm if Torres will start against Wigan today, but continued to back the out-of-form striker.

Ancelotti said: 'I have seen a lot of players - (Hernan) Crespo, (Filippo) Inzaghi, (Andriy) Shevchenko - go through these moments.

'Crespo went his first six months in Milan without scoring a goal. He started in November and it finished with two goals in the final of the Champions League, but it was not enough. This is the life of a striker.

'I supported Crespo, Inzaghi (and) Sheva. It's the same with Fernando. I have faith in him. This is not a good moment for Fernando. But he has the support first from himself - his confidence - and from his manager and team-mates.'


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