Izuchukwu Okosi
Chelsea’s automatic qualification to the UEFA Champions League was confirmed on Monday night following the 2-0 defeat of top 3 challengers Arsenal to Newcastle United at Saint James’ Park.
Ben White’s own goal and Callum Wilson scored the Toons’ goals which means Tottenham Hotspur are the likely north London side to finish in the top four as they are set to face already relegated Norwich City while Arsenal square up against Everton who are battling to remain in the league.
Meanwhile the proposed sale of Chelsea has been plunged into fresh doubt, with the government now ‘seriously concerned’ that Roman Abramovich would be ‘willing to let Chelsea go under’.
A consortium led by US investor Todd Boehly have agreed terms on a £4.25billion takeover to end the Abramovich era but there is now ‘alarm’ among ministers that the deal may be at risk of ‘falling apart’ over the oligarch’s alleged ‘refusal to agree’ to a proposed sale structure.
With the final deadline for a deal to go through a fortnight away, negotiations have hit another snag over the £1.6bn owed by Chelsea’s parent company, Fordstam Ltd, to Jersey-registered Camberley International Investments, a company with suspected links to Abramovich.
The government say they have been ‘clear all along’ that they will not countenance any deal that could possibly see some money end up in Abramovich’s pocket.
It’s undstood ministers proposed that funds from any sale would be kept in a holding account, and released only once they are satisfied the money can go to a foundation to help victims of the Ukraine war.
Abramovich recently denied he was going back on a pledge to write off the debt but on Monday a government source suggested that ‘despite committing to all proceeds going to good causes in public, Abramovich seems unwilling to give the same legal commitments.’
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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