On Saturday, Marina Granovskaia watched Chelsea defeat Bayern Munich 4-0 in a “Legends of Europe” match while attending Stamford Bridge for the second time in two months.
While Marina Granovskaia attended the “Legends of Europe” game on Saturday, Todd Boehly, the current owner of Chelsea, did not extend her an invitation.
Gianluca Vialli, who died in January after a battle with pancreatic cancer, was honored by the Blues by having the game played in his honor. Nearly 11 years after the disastrous Champions League final in Munich, John Terry, Ryan Bertrand, and Gary Cahill were among the Chelsea players that took the field against a Bayern Munich team.
Granovskaia was one of several former players and employees that attended the game because they had been invited back. Observant fans noticed the 48-year-old in the West Stand’s middle tier, although it is believed that she went as a friend’s guest rather than at Boehly’s request, according to the Telegraph.
Since leaving Chelsea at the conclusion of the 2021–2022 season, Granovskaia has returned to the club before. Additionally, in August, Granovskaia was spotted attending the charity game between Team Shevchenko and Team Zinchenko, for which it is assumed that she bought general admission tickets.
After a change in ownership, Chelsea announced in June 2022 that Granovskaia would resign from her position as chief executive at the conclusion of the summer transfer window. Roman Abramovich, who had been subject to sanctions as a result of Russia’s invasion of March earlier that year, was succeeded by American businessman Boehly.
In a statement, Boehly said, “We thank Marina for her many years of excellent service to the club and wish her the best in her future endeavors.” Bruce Buck, the club’s chairman for 18 years, also resigned from the board at the same time as Granovskaia.
Speaking at the time, Buck said: “I am proud to have helped Chelsea realise great success on the pitch and make a positive impact in the community. Now is the right time to step down and let new ownership build on the strong foundations we have in place.
Bruce Buck and Marina Granovskaia left Chelsea last summer (
Getty Images)
“The owners have a compelling vision for Chelsea’s future, and I look forward to helping them achieve it in this new role alongside our incredible staff, players, coaches and supporters.”
Chelsea have endured somewhat of a rocky period since Boehly took over, with the Blues finished 12th in the Premier League last season. They went through two permanent managers in Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, before Frank Lampard took change for their final nine matches.
In an attempt to turn their fortunes around, Mauricio Pochettino was appointed in the summer but he has won just one of his opening four matches at the helm. That came in a 3-0 success over newly-promoted Luton and Chelsea are back in action when they travel to Bournemouth after the international break.
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