Free Kick: Abramovic may have killed two birds with one stone

While the billionaire Roman Abramovic smiled in the sunshine of Stamford Bridge, watching the Chelsea team into which he has poured so many millions easily demolish Spurs 4-2 in the London derby they always seem to win, things were afoot in Russia.

It is now alleged that Roman, hailed as the beneficent governor of the arid, under developed region of Chukotka, has found his position hugely lucrative. To the extent that he has supposedly been able to use his role, under present, somewhat strange, Russian legislation which may now be changed, to exempt his oil company Sibneft, for a half billion pounds of tax.

In addition, the Russian auditor general is carrying out, reportedly, a more general inquiry into Roman's tax dealings, while other investigators are examining how he managed to transfer all that money to England to buy Chelsea.

All this in a week when Chelsea eased out Trevor Birch, their chief executive, who will now be paid £2.2 million and brought in paying him alleged £3 million for starters, the chief Manchester United executive, Peter Kenyon.

Kenyon doubtless had much to do with the colossal spread of Manchester United's commercial activities worldwide, but with so much money at Roman's disposal, why should he raise still more?

Last week, too, his former mentor Beris Bornovki, who apparently he no longer speaks to, successfully fended off in Bow Street Magistrates Court an attempt by Russia to extradite him on various charges. Were the Russians to try to extradite Roman, he might will feel encouraged by the verdict.

Meanwhile he can surely look forward to another victory today in the first round proper of the European Champions Cup versus Sparta in Prague.

The Czechs, who are constantly forced to sell their stars, have made an uneasy start to their season at home and abroad, though they do have a lively attacker in Karen Poborsky, very much to the fore last week when the Czechs beat Holland 3-1 at home in the European Championship eliminators.

Bleak news however for them on Saturday when at Blackburn, in an early challenge by Marcus Babbel, their lively striker Milan Baros broke an ankle, playing for Liverpool.

Contrasting contest

Spartak could only squeese through their previous Euro qualifying round against the modest Mecedonians of Vardar, with Libor Sionko's 85th minute goal.

By contrast Chelsea are knee deep in available stars. Against Spurs, the Rumanian Adrian Mutu scored two more splendidly taken goals while Joe Cole came on - as he did for pedestrian England at Old Trafford three days earlier against Lechenstein, and provided two inspired passes, for Chelsea's third and fourth goals.

Afterwards he said he was delighted to play alongside such stars: "I'm learning a lot from them. Players learn from players. There's not so much coaches can tell you." (Least of all Sven Goran Eriksson) who seems to have so little faith in him.

England had another of their meagre and mediocre victories over Liechenstein, do they ever beat even the least of their opponents with any real panache?

The main consolation was the electric form of Wayne Rooney still only 17, who scored another fine international goal.

Arsenal tomorrow are at home in the Champions League to Inter. Their manager, Arsene Wenger, says sceptically that though Bobo Vieri, ankle injury, was unfit to play for Inter in Siena on Sunday, he'll exect to see him at Highbury. May be shouldn't worry. Vieri has been missing goals galore for Italy, and the words is that his lifestyle has led to his putting on weight and losing his edge.