Ken Bates, the former Chelsea and Leeds United owner who bought the club for £1 and sold it for £140m, has died at the age of 94. Bates, a self-made millionaire from haulage and ready-mix concrete, was one of the most colourful, controversial and highly significant figures in the modern football era. He started his time in football as chairman of Oldham Athletic in the 1960s, later becoming owner and vice-chairman of Wigan Athletic before purchasing Chelsea for £1 in 1982, inheriting debts of £1.5m. By the time he sold to Roman Abramovich in July 2003, Chelsea had won the FA Cup twice, the League Cup, the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1998 and the Uefa Super Cup. Bates was also a member of the FA executive committee and played a key role in the rebuilding of Wembley Stadium, serving as chairman of Wembley National Stadium Limited from 1997 to 2001. He was never far from controversy, notably in 1985 when he erected a 12ft 12-volt electric fence around Stamford Bridge to prevent pitch invasions, though it was never switched on for safety reasons. After leaving Chelsea, he became principal owner of Leeds United in January 2005, another stormy reign that lasted until July 2013.
His death came as the football world also learned of the death of Dutch referee Rob Dieperink, aged 38, just weeks after he was dropped from officiating at the World Cup following a police investigation in the UK. Dieperink had been selected as a video assistant referee (VAR) official for this summer’s tournament but was removed from Fifa’s list in May. He was arrested by the Metropolitan Police in April after a report of a sexual assault against a teenage boy, but the case was dropped because of a lack of evidence. A Met Police statement said officers responded to a report of a sexual assault at an address on Wellesley Road, Croydon, and arrested a man in his 30s, but following a thorough investigation concluded the evidential threshold had not been met. Dieperink, who began refereeing in the Eredivisie in 2017 and was a VAR official at Euro 2024, said he had been “wrongly accused” in an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. The Netherlands’ football association, the KNVB, said they were “shocked and deeply saddened” by his death, adding: “With Rob, we lose a highly valued referee, but above all a kind and dedicated colleague.” Fifa said it learned of the news with “great sadness”. Dieperink’s cause of death has not been disclosed.
“Ken Bates dies aged 94; Dutch referee Rob Dieperink, 38, also dies weeks after World Cup removal.”