Who Will Roman Abramovich Sell? Chelsea FC vs. Pelorus-The-Yacht

Recent reports in the press suggest that the due to the current economic crises, the Russian billionaire will have to either sell Chelsea or his £200 million yacht, Pelorus.

If Chelsea FC vs. Pelorus-the-yacht is really the case, here is how this unique match will shape up:

1. Abramovich is the World's biggest spender on luxury yachts. His 'fleet' has total 5 expensive boats, but football will always be his first love. He attends many Chelsea home matches, and is not reluctant to show his hunger for winning. His involvement in CSKA Moscow and the Russian FA only emphasizes how much he enjoys the beautiful game. Fantasy football managers would agree, nothing can beat the feeling of watching your 11 superstars do wonders for you.

2. The Russian was well-known in Russian even before buying the club, but he is World famous today only due to his trophy winning football team. Selling Chelsea would bring bad name for him.

3. Abramovich has put a lot of money (£578 million), time (five years), and hope (loads) in Chelsea. He will certainly not want to abandon his club.

4. One can sell a yacht today, and always buy another one when the financial climate is better. But letting go of a club like Chelsea and the emotion attached to it is not that simple.

5. Chelsea's losses are huge, but their revenue has certainly increased over the years. Chelsea bosses are still looking to achieve break even by year 2010. Hopefully for Abramovich, Chelsea would soon turn into a profitable business; meanwhile Pelorus-the-yacht would never yield profit. In fact, keeping in mind that it takes a crew of around 100 people to maintain it, Pelorus would only drain more and more money.

6. Now a reality check, if the Russian's financial situation is as bad as the reports say, and he really needs to sell his assets to improve his liquidity, Chelsea would no doubt generate much more funds, probably three times more, than Pelorus. The yacht certainly has the edge here.

(Score: Chelsea FC 5-1 Pelorus-the-yacht)

Abramovich certainly knows the risks involved in this business right from the start. He once said: "The goal is to win. It's not about making money. I have many much less risky ways of making money than this (buying Chelsea football club). I don't want to throw my money away, but it's really about having fun and that means success and trophies."

But he is also famous for saying: "Investors have very short memories."

So will he fulfill his promises of making Chelsea the biggest club of the world, or will he be forced to walk away with a bag full of money and memories? Your guess is as good as mine.