The Chairman of the Committee for Physical Education and Sports in the Russian State Duma, Dmitry Svishchev, spoke about Marina Granovskaya's wish to leave her position as the executive director of Chelsea Football Club. According to the "Metaratings" website, Dmitry Svishchev stated, "Marina, it seems to me, is one of the developed business managers in the world of football. I believe she should be invited to Russia."
Reports indicated that Marina Granovskaya, who holds both Canadian and British citizenship, is set to leave Chelsea following the transfer of the club's ownership in late May from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich to a consortium led by American Todd Boehly, one of the owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. According to the Chairman of the Committee for Physical Education and Sports, the success of Chelsea as a business model largely relies on Marina Granovskaya's work, emphasizing the need to create an information environment and favorable conditions to attract Granovskaya's interest in Russian football.
It is noteworthy that Marina Granovskaya, 47 years old and nicknamed the "Iron Lady," was awarded the title of Best Football Director in Europe for 2021 by the Italian site "Tuttosport." Roman Abramovich, 55 years old, purchased Chelsea Football Club in 2003 for £140 million (approximately $233 million at that time) from former English owner Ken Bates, and was compelled to sell due to the pressures he faced following the Russian military operation in Ukraine.
During Abramovich's management, Chelsea won the Premier League title five times, the FA Cup three times, the League Cup twice, the Super Cup twice, the UEFA Champions League twice (in 2012 and 2021), and the UEFA Europa League twice (in 2013 and 2019), in addition to winning the UEFA Super Cup in 2021 and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2022.
