John Terry has been criticised by Labour MP Chris Bryant for a social media post in which he described Roman Abramovich as “the best” following his announcement that he has put Chelsea up for sale.
The Russian has put Chelsea up for auction and interested parties have been informed to make official bids by March 15.
Billionaires Todd Boehly and Hansjorg Wyss have expressed their interest and offers are expected to be submitted within the coming days.
After Abramovich’s announcement, Terry posted a picture on Twitter of him and the Russian with the Premier League trophy in 2017 alongside the caption: “The best.”
It came after Terry sent a heartfelt message to Abramovich on Instagram, saying: “Thank you Roman. The best owner in the WORLD.”
Bryant has called for Abramovich to be sanctioned by the UK Government and in response to Terry’s tweet, he said: “This is appalling. I think John Terry you should take this down ASAP. The people of Ukraine are being bombed, shelled and murdered while you celebrate Abramovich.”
Boehly and Wyss, whose combined wealth is valued at £8.8billion, have emerged as the front runners to buy Chelsea.
Loutfy Mansour, the Egyptian chief executive of Man Capital, is another name linked with a potential bid.
Britain’s richest man, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has ruled himself out of the running, with a spokesman saying there is “no substance to reports” of his interest.
