Simon Jordan accuses Roman Abramovich of 'running and hiding' from Vladimir Putin over Chelsea exit

Furious Simon Jordan has accused Roman Abramovich of "running and hiding" after he stepped down from running Chelsea.

The Russian oligarch handed over the keys after nearly 19 years at Stamford Bridge last week.

It's believed he did so in a bid to protect the Premier League club from any sanctions brought against him due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Former Crystal Palace owner Jordan, however, reckons 'gangster' Abramovich is running in fear from Vladimir Putin - with his daughter Sofia having been openly critical of the war-hungry president on social media.

He said on talkSPORT: "I've got no problem with Abramovich. I met him years ago when I was at Palace, he was in my boardroom a couple of times, I was in his, I met him at Newcastle as well.

"He's a perfectly pleasant guy. He's an oligarch, he's part of a regime that's got a Mafioso boss that's gone mad at the minute in Vladimir Putin.

"These are the kind of people who are owning our football clubs."

Jordan was challenged by host Jim White but he insists it's only his opinion.

And he reckons Abramovich is only stepping down to take himself out of Putin's crosshairs.

He powered on: "(Abramovich) can deny what he wants, but if you look behind the scenes at what these oligarchs really are...these are terms that I'm using, I'm not asking talkSPORT to empathise or agree with them. These are my views.

"The nature of the ownership we have in this country brings about a lot of questions.

"He's running away and hiding before he finds himself dead in the bath I suspect, for going against Vladimir Putin.

"His daughter is tweeting all kinds of things about Putin, and right she is.

"But Abramovich is leaving a vacuum that will be filled by somebody. The