Ken Bates, one of the most colourful, controversial and significant figures in modern English football, has died aged 94. Bates bought Chelsea for £1 in 1982, inheriting debts of £1.5m and a club on the brink of bankruptcy and relegation to Division Three. Over two decades, he turned the fallen giant into a powerful force, winning the FA Cup twice, the League Cup, the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1998 and the Uefa Super Cup. He sold the club to Roman Abramovich in July 2003 for £140m – taking £17m for himself – though Chelsea was £97m in debt at the time.
Bates, a self-made millionaire from haulage and ready-mix concrete, started his football career as chairman of Oldham Athletic in the 1960s and later owned Wigan Athletic before buying Chelsea. He was never far from controversy. In 1985, without seeking council or FA permission, he erected a 12ft perimeter fence topped with electric wiring at Stamford Bridge to deter hooligans – an idea borrowed from his dairy farm, where a similar arrangement kept cows in. The Greater London Council refused permission to switch it on, citing safety. He once banned club legends Ron Harris and Peter Osgood for publicly criticising him, and used his matchday programme notes to attack individuals and settle scores. “I’ve always said what I felt, and some people along the way haven’t liked it,” he said.
“Ken Bates, who bought Chelsea for £1 and sold for £140m, dies aged 94.”
Despite his pugnacious reputation, Bates saved Stamford Bridge from property developers and developed the ground with a hotel, apartment block, catering arm, travel business, megastore and radio and TV stations – ideas later embraced by other clubs. He also served on the FA executive committee and was appointed chairman of Wembley National Stadium Limited in 1997, resigning four years later, claiming progress was too slow. After selling Chelsea, he became principal owner of Leeds United in January 2005, another stormy reign that ended in July 2013. Upon his departure from Chelsea in 2004, he made a cordial speech over dinner, but that night his solicitors lodged a writ claiming a further £2m for alleged lost expenses; the club disputed the claim.
Bates's legacy is that of a transformative – if divisive – figure who restored Chelsea to the top rank of English football, attracting stars such as Ruud Gullit, Gianfranco Zola, Marcel Desailly and Gianluca Vialli. He died leaving behind a club that had become a European powerhouse, though his methods and personality ensured he remained a polarising presence in the sport he helped reshape.