Abramovich Decision Time: The Sports Team, The Yacht or Latvia?
Oh what a week to be Roman Abramovich. As my colleague Jared Paul Stern reported, Abramovich had to cancel his Aspen New Year's Eve party. Now rumors are surfacing that Abramovich may be so crunched by the financial crisis he is looking at selling either his Chelsea soccer team or his megayacht Pelorus. It seems likely that he would be selling the yacht anyway if he is still going to be taking delivery of his planned $350 million megayacht but perhaps the economy has hastened that decision. No other Russian billionaire is as tempting a subject for speculation so it's hard to believe much of the news of his potential comings and goings without a listing or other proof. Should Abramovich find himself with a bit of spare change, the country of Latvia has an interesting offer, they want him to buy them. For around $10.7 billion he could have an entire country at his disposal. Over 400 Lativans have signed a letter addressed to Abramovich touting the country's benefits of hard-working people, a clean environment and"plenty of space to dock your yacht."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
terri Jan 2nd 2009 7:52AM
i used to drive limos a few years ago, and i met him, in newport, ri. he's super good-looking and nice. and seems down to earth. his yacht, though, is as big as a cruise ship.
pipy262 Jan 2nd 2009 12:27PM
I really don't think that it's right for one person to own a whole country. That's just weird.
Mick Jan 2nd 2009 3:27PM
Ahhh...only to have 10 billion dollars...I could be a Latvian King!
blonde one Jan 2nd 2009 6:51PM
I would buy a country if I had the money. I owned an entire street of rental property at one time...."It's good to be king." as Mel Brooks said in one of his movies...lol
Ann Jan 2nd 2009 3:51PM
I'm surprised that Latvia is offering itself to anyone, let alone to one single person. Exactly what would his position be? Would he own all the land including the people, or would they retain their rights to ownership and personal freedom? If Latvia is so badly off, why don't they strive to become part of another neighboring European country, such as Sweden or Finland? They could even become a satellite of Great Britain or Germany for that matter. My guess is that Abramovich won't go for it; if he owns Latvia, he'll have to manage it somehow, and then he won't have time to play anymore!
Jim Jan 2nd 2009 4:38PM
I seriously doubt that the "Country" of Latvia is offering this purchase. 400 people signed the letter. It's not hard to find only 400 stupid people. Latvia may indeed be a small country, but 400 people do not constitute the thoughts wishes of the entire country