The Italian Press are reporting that Russian Oligarch Roman Abramovich lost one of his $500,000 yachts in a game of poker last week.
Apparently Abramovich has become quite a serious (although apparently not too good) poker player recently, and lost the yacht in a Spanish poker game last week, after watching his football team Chelsea play Barcelona in the European Champions League.
Unsurprisingly, nothing but strenuous denials from Abramovich’s spokesmen.
I’ve just done a quick Google search to find out a bit about Abramovich’s fleet of yachts. If you remember, he has such an extensive collection that the British Press have dubbed his fleet “Roman’s Navy”. Here’s a picture of just one of his yachts.
Mr. Abramovich is suing “Republica” for slander.
Is there any other site which has claimed that Roman Abramovich lose $500,000! Its really unbelievable!!!
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has denied reports he lost one of his fleet of yachts in a high stakes poker game.
“The story is absolutely, completely, entirely false,” Abramovich spokesman John Mann said after three Russian daily newspapers published versions of the story that originated in the Italian press.
The popular daily Moskovsky Komsomelets said the oligarch lost the $US500,000 yacht while playing poker in Barcelona, which he was visiting to watch Chelsea in action last week.
Two other mass-circulation Russian dailies, Izvestia and Trud, also published the story, citing the Italian newspaper La Repubblica as the source of the information.
Mr Mann said Mr Abramovich had not been in Barcelona for the Chelsea match and asserted that the entire story was a fabrication.
“We have instructed our lawyers to examine legal action over publication of the story,” he said.
Sounds like one of those tools who get OK-ish at it and now consider themselves the shiznit.
Exactly. $500k does not buy you much yacht, at least not amongst those with whom Abramovitch rubs shoulders.