Ken Bates

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Lore & Background

Bates spent five years as chairman of Oldham Athletic during the 1960s and also had a spell at Wigan Athletic. In 1982, he purchased Chelsea for £1. During his tenure, he helped the club win a long-running battle with property developers who were attempting to evict them from their Stamford Bridge home. By the end of his reign, Chelsea were regularly finishing in the top six of the Premier League and had won their first major trophies since the 1970s, although they had a debt burden of around £80 million. In July 2003, he sold the club to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich from whom he received approximately £18 million. In January 2005, Bates bought a 50% stake in Leeds United, another club struggling under a heavy debt burden. In May 2007, Leeds entered administration, and were relegated to League One. The club regained Championship status in 2010 and, in May 2011, it was confirmed that Bates had become the sole owner. In November 2012, Bates sold his holdings in Leeds United to GFH Capital.

In Their Own Story

The relationship between Bates and Chelsea's hierarchy was often volatile. In the mid-1990s, a bitter dispute erupted with vice-chairman Matthew Harding over the club's direction, leading to Harding's ban from the boardroom. The conflict ended abruptly when Harding died in a helicopter crash in October 1996. Bates later sparked outrage by stating, "I don't believe evil should triumph and he was an evil man ... This is a much happier ship at Chelsea now he's no longer around." His match-day programme notes frequently attacked individuals, leading to a libel suit in 2002 from supporter David Johnstone over comments describing the Chelsea Independent Supporters Association as "parasites"; Bates settled out of court without admitting liability. Despite these tensions, by 1999, his leadership had guided the club to third place, just four points behind champions Manchester United, with a squad featuring Gianfranco Zola and Roberto Di Matteo.

Reader's Guide

Bates was born in Richmond, Surrey on 4 December 1931. He made his fortune in haulage, quarrying, ready-mix concrete, and dairy farming. He was chairman of Oldham Athletic for five years in the 1960s, and in 1980 became co-owner and vice chairman of Wigan Athletic. He purchased Chelsea for £1 in 1982, fought property developers, rebuilt Stamford Bridge as an all-seater stadium, and sold the club to Roman Abramovich in July 2003 for a sum of £140 million, making a £17 million profit. He later owned Leeds United from 2005 to 2012.

Did You Know?

• Bates purchased Chelsea for £1 in 1982.
• He received approximately £18 million from Roman Abramovich when he sold Chelsea in July 2003.
• Bates erected an electric perimeter fence at Stamford Bridge in the mid-1980s, but it was never turned on.
• He was involved in a dispute with Chelsea vice-chairman Matthew Harding, which ended with Harding's death in a helicopter crash in October 1996.