Ken Bates bought Chelsea for a single pound in 1982, holding the position of chair for 22 years before selling the club to Roman Abramovich in 2003
Saturday 11 July 2026 15:32, UK
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Ken Bates has died aged 94
Former Chelsea and Leeds chairman and owner Ken Bates has died aged 94.
The London-born businessman bought Chelsea for a single pound in 1982 and became the third-longest-serving chairman in Chelsea's history, holding the position for 22 years.
He took the Blues towards the higher end of the Premier League before selling the club to Roman Abramovich in 2003 and then taking over at Leeds in 2005.
Chelsea released a statement on its website which said: "It is with great sadness that we share the news of the loss of Ken Bates, former owner and chairman of Chelsea Football Club. The club sends our heartfelt condolences to Ken's wife Suzannah, the rest of his family and his friends.
"Ken's determination to fight for Chelsea when times were tough, and drive the team on to winning trophies will never be forgotten."
Under Bates, Chelsea were promoted into the top division before winning the FA Cup twice. Chelsea would also win the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the League Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, the Community Shield during his tenure.
'One of the most important and controversial figures in Chelsea's history'
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Sky Sports' Kaveh Solhekol pays homage to Ken Bates and his dedication to Chelsea
"Ken Bates is one of the most important and controversial figures in Chelsea's history. You have to remember that when he bought Chelsea for just £1 in 1982, they were not the kind of club they are now and he was a really important figure in the way the club developed.
"When he bought them, they were in the second division and in danger of being relegated to the third tier. But by the time he sold Chelsea, they had sort of rediscovered their cosmopolitan roots. They'd become one of the most glamorous clubs in English football.
"They had star names playing for them like Gianfranco Zola, Marcel Desailly and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. They were regularly finishing in the top six in the top flight and that is the reason that Roman Abramovich wanted to buy Chelsea. Once he saw Chelsea and saw the potential at the club and also the fact they were based in one of the most expensive residential areas in the world, pretty quickly and infamously - I think he did a deal with Bates in the Dorchester Hotel to buy Chelsea for around £140m.
"Now, at the time Chelsea were in deep trouble financially, they had debts of around £80m. But you have to say overall, Bates did a great job as the Chelsea owner. He was a very colourful, controversial figure who liked doing things his own way.
"Obviously, he was a very, very successful businessman and he had lots of interests in the business world as well as in football. He was involved at Wigan Athletic, Oldham Athletic. After he sold Chelsea, he bought a 50 per cent stake in Leeds United where his ownership was quite controversial as well.
"But the way he developed Chelsea and the way he ran the club ultimately led them to be in a position where somebody like Abramovich would come along and buy them. And we all know what happened next." %!s()
England are facing an almighty battle to avoid defeat in the first Women's Test at Lord's after India dominated day two of the four-day fixture.
The home side's hopes of getting near, or beyond, India's first-innings 285 were shredded by collapses of 3-15 and 6-39 - and a superb five-wicket haul from Kranti Gaud (5-37) that was clinched via a stunning Shafali Verma catch - as they were rolled for 170.
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India then extended their lead, which stood at 115 on first innings, to 269 by stumps after reaching 154-1, with Smriti Mandhana (69no) notching her second half-century of the game and the tourists in prime position to secure back-to-back Test wins over England after a 347-run demolition in Navi Mumbai back in December 2023.
As it happened on day two between England and India
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Score summary - England vs India, Women's Test, Lord's
India 285 all out in 74.5 overs in first innings: Smriti Mandhana (83), Harmanpreet Kaur (58), Deepti Sharma (57); Sophie Ecclestone (3-68), Lauren Filer (2-40), Issy Wong (2-41), Mady Villiers (2-79)
England 170 all out in 59.1 overs in first innings: Amy Jones (52), Nat Sciver-Brunt (44), Maia Bouchier (23); Kranti Gaud (5-27), Sneh Rana (2-41), Sayali Satghare (2-40), Deepti Sharma (1-10)
India 154-1 after 42 overs in second innings (lead by 269): Smriti Mandhana (69no), Yastika Bhatia (39no), Shafali Verma (33); Sophie Ecclestone (1-46)
Full scorecard
Watch day three live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Mix from 10.30am on Sunday (11am first ball).
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England will need to create history to win the first Women's Test at Lord's
England already need the highest run chase to win a Women's Test - that remains the 198 Australia picked off against them during a 2011 Ashes clash in Sydney - and the target could become monstrous with India having so much batting to come.
A crowd of 15,243 - a record for a day of a Women's Test - saw India fire with bat and ball and England toil across both disciplines, although Lauren Bell (0-16) bowled well across a wicketless 11 overs, which included five maidens, having been loose on day one.
England have looked a little naïve in key moments – the way they have looked to bat and bowl. India have shown greater knowledge of the little details.
Gaud's relentless line and length has largely showed up the home seamers, while openers Mandhana and Verma (33) put on 88 for the tourists' first wicket before Mandhana and Yastika Bhatia (39no) added an unbroken 66 for the second after Amy Jones fluffed the chance to stump Bhatia late in the day.
England's men's team have pumped India 4-0 in a T20 international series but it appears unlikely the women's side will be celebrating at Lord's, not unless there is a dramatic turnaround.
The hosts slipped from their overnight 21-1 to 47-4 when Gaud had Maia Bouchier (23) caught behind off a nothing shot and took out the off stump of Alice Capsey (9) around fellow seamer Sayali Satghare (2-40) pinning Heather Knight (6) lbw.
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Gaud uprooted Alice Capsey's off stump as she bowled the England batter at Lord's on Saturday
Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt (44) and Jones (52) curbed that wobble with a fifth-wicket stand of 84, during which Jones notched a second Test fifty from 59 balls, only for Jones' dismissal, caught at short leg, to trigger a second damaging breakdown.
Gaud earned the key wicket of Sciver-Brunt lbw and went on to clinch the first five-for in a Women's Test at Lord's thanks to Verma's moment of brilliance - team-mate Sneh Rana could only parry a thick edge from Bell (3) into the cordon and an alert Verma reacted to clutch the ball just above the turf.
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Shafali Verma's stunning rebound catch at slip secured India team-mate Kranti Gaud a five-wicket haul
Off-spinner Rana could claim an assist there but she was fully responsible for the wickets of Jones and Mady Villiers (10) - the latter bowled through the gate by a ripper having dismissed India captain Harmanpreet Kaur in similar fashion on day one.
Once England No 11 Lauren Filer (0) was trapped lbw by another off-spinner in Deepti Sharma, Sciver-Brunt's side shipped only four runs across the first three overs of India's second innings, before Mandhana's brace of pulled fours off Filer changed the tempo.
Sophie Ecclestone - who had contributed 11 with the bat before being caught behind on the drive - was flogged for 13 in the sixth over, the final one before tea, as Verma lofted and caressed fours and one delivery was speared past leg stump for byes.
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Sophie Ecclestone trudges off after being dismissed on a tough second day for England against India at Lord's
England surprisingly overlooked spin for the first half of the evening session but the reintroduction of Ecclestone brought about the dismissal of Verma, pouched at mid-on after a mistimed drive.
That, though, would prove the final wicket to fall on a day on which England were overwhelmingly second-best and ended with the classy Mandhana 31 runs away from joining colleague Gaud on the Lord's honours board.
Teams for Women's Test at Lord's
England: Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier, Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt (captain), Alice Capsey, Amy Jones (wicketkeeper), Mady Villiers, Sophie Ecclestone, Issy Wong, Lauren Bell, Lauren Filer.
Watch day three of the standalone Women's Test between England and India at Lord's live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Mix from 10.30am on Sunday (11am first ball). Stream cricket and more contract-free with NOW.%!s()
Jos Buttler produced a box-office performance with the bat to lead England to a sensational 56-run T20 victory against India and a 4-0 series sweep.
The victory also sees England overtake India at the top of the ICC Men's T20 team rankings, with England's last T20 series victory against India coming back in 2022.
As it happened in Saturday's fifth T20 in Southampton
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The century was Buttler's highest score in the T20I format
Buttler bounced back from scoring just eight in England's nine-wicket win in Bristol, combining with Harry Brook to dismantle India's bowling attack. The former captain hammered 12 fours and eight sixes in a breathtaking 131 off 64 balls - the highest T20I score of his career.
After losing Phil Salt for just six runs off nine deliveries, Buttler and Harry Brook brought up the highest second-wicket partnership in T20I history, smashing their way to 233 runs off 103 deliveries, before Buttler was removed after clipping a delivery from Shivam Dube in the air to India captain Shreyas Iyer.
Brook was equally impressive with the bat, surviving a dropped catch from Shivam Dube in the sixth over as he advanced to a score of 95 off 45 deliveries.
England set India a mammoth run chase of 258 to win, and despite half-centuries from Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma, India's batters could not cut the deficit to England's giant lead.
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Harry Brook struck an unbeaten 95 off 45 deliveries on Saturday at Southampton
Brook hopes Three Lions can advance to World Cup summit
Watch all three games from England's ODI series against India LIVE on Sky Sports. Coverage of the first ODI commences on Tuesday July 14 on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10.30am, with the first ball at 11am. Stream cricket and more sport contract-free with NOW.%!s()
I've developed a bit of a reputation among my coworkers for loving niche, lo-fi indie games that make you feel bad and gross and weird on the inside. I'm flattered to stand out in such a way, but I also don't ever want to be typecast. Anyway, Brno Transit is a game about being trapped underground with your nasty, weirdly sexual boss and neurotic coworkers as reality disintegrates around you.
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Weird Weekend
Weird Weekend is our regular Saturday column where we celebrate PC gaming oddities: peculiar games, strange bits of trivia, forgotten history. Pop back every weekend to find out what Jeremy, Josh, Ted, and Rick have become obsessed with this time, whether it's the canon height of Thief's Garrett or that time someone in the Vatican pirated Football Manager.
I loved developer Spytihněv's previous game, the Soviet boomer shooter Hrot, so I've been eagerly awaiting his next project. Much like fellow FPS designer David Szymanski (Dusk, Iron Lung), Spytihněv zigged rather than zagging, following up Hrot with a short narrative horror game rather than another shooter.
You're a novice train conductor learning the ropes under Brno, the second city of the Czech Republic. It's "the dampest subway east of anything that matters," according to Spytihněv, and I think it helps set the tone out of the gate to know that Brno does not have a subway system in real life.
What follows is a surreal, scatological (a Spytihněv signature), and homoerotic (that's new!) delve into guys being dudes on the job. For me, it called to mind Szymanski's Iron Lung (but more fleshy, sexual, and human) or 2024's breakout Mouthwashing (but not as character driven, and somehow evenless life-affirming). The controversial Horses also sprang to mind, but with less explicitly harrowing subject matter—and more explicit full-frontal nudity, let's go boys.
Even more than Mouthwashing, which portrays one of the most evil fictional workplaces I've ever seen, Brno Transit captured the feeling of starting a job where you matter so little as to want to die, while the apathy and neglect of your coworkers is somehow even worse than if they actively hated you.
This game runs on surprise, so I'll try to talk around the real zinger moments, but it's one long sequence of "Go here, do this. Why did you do that? Now you have to fix it. Embarrassing." If you've ever talked to a coworker at a shit job and felt like they were a space alien playing a prank on you with how they think and view the world, Brno Transit will speak to you on some level.
Your first day ends with you eating a tainted hot dog that gives you the runs and the voms, sending you scrambling for a bathroom as gurgles and whines fill your headphones. The doorless, exposed toilet in the employee area is indefinitely occupied when you reach it, while the bathroom in the station above is out of order. I don't know if there's another way of finishing this bit, but I had to take the train to another station to find an open commode. I haven't shared this exact stress dream or level of gastrointestinal distress, but it was still incredibly gnarly and relatable in the moment.
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You black out and wake up on a dirty floor mattress in the conductors' area, with splotches of feces and a trail of brown footprints trailing backwards from your resting place. Out in the depot, an entire train is covered in crap, and the first order of the day is to hose it off, Powerwash Simulator-style. How could this have all been you?
Events only get stranger and grosser from there, and I was hooked. Brno Transit shares a brown, desolate, hopeless world with the preceding Hrot, despite being set closer to the modern day. It's a new standout of the mundane or on the job horror subgenre. I want these awful subway stations to get love like the Backrooms or Exit 8.
Model trains
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Brno Transit is a medley of nastiness punctuated with surreal hilarity, and while much of the humor is front-and-center in the scripted story, one of my favorite moments was emergent: I had to do a double take out of the corner of my eye to notice a passenger randomly hanging off the end of a train as it left the station. The simulated little world of Brno Transit, which exists whether you're paying attention to it or not, is what really takes it to the next level.
Undergirding the scripted story stuff is a continuous simulation of a small subway system with two lines, one counter- and the other clockwise. It feels like zooming into someone's model train set, and does a superb job of evoking a much larger world than what's just in front of you.
A diverse array of NPCs mill about the stations or wander on and off the trains. They have this sense of anonymity and guarded hostility that really nailed the feeling of making eye contact with strangers on the subway. You don't matter to them, don't bother them.
This effect, plus the the shifting and jostling of the train cars, the way the lighting changes as you pass through tunnels, as well as Spytihněv's excellent sound, music, and foley work add up to this uncanny feel of actually riding the subway. I was reminded of how no one's done nighttime better than Thief or Thief 2, even with their aged graphics. These three games are punching well above their weight in art and atmosphere.
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You have to ride the train to start, but you quickly take control of your own engine, carefully adjusting your acceleration to avoid hitting stops too late or too early, doing your best to slot seamlessly into the pre-existing schedule of trains constantly running on this loop. It's a simplified approximation of a whole-hog train sim like Densha de Go!
A free ride mode unlocks after completing the story, and I feel like there's all kinds of weirdness left to discover under Brno. At one point in the story, I stumbled into a skull-filled catacomb attached to one of the stations, with unnerving music, a confusing, switchback layout, and a bumbling tourist snapping photos. I thought for sure this was part of the critical path, but it was just there. What other odd shit is waiting for me at all the stops I never explored on the critical path?
Brno Transit would have been an easy recommendation for me at $9 if it was just the standout surreal horror narrative adventure, but the fact that it's built on top of this little model train world truly sets it apart. I love this freaky little game, I love a Spytihněv joint, and I can't wait to see what he does next.
Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister's copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he's not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch. You can follow Ted on Bluesky. %!s()
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - MARCH 08: Head coach Karch Kiraly of the USA women's indoor volleyball team poses for a portrait at the 2016 Team USA Media Summit at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on March 8, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
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America's most decorated volleyball champion suggests talent wins matches, but talent plus culture wins Olympic medals.
(This is part 2 of a story based on a Forbes exclusive interview with Karch Kiraly July 3, 2026. All quotes are taken directly from a transcript of the interview.)
No Shortcuts To Success
Olympic championships are often remembered in a single photograph.
TOKYO, JAPAN - AUGUST 08: Players of Team United States react as they receive their Gold Medals during the Victory Ceremony following the Women's Gold Medal Volleyball match between Brazil and United States on day sixteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Arena on August 08, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
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A player celebrating on the podium. Gold medals hanging around smiling necks. National flags rising toward the rafters while an anthem echoes through the arena. What those photographs never reveal is how many years of unseen work came before them. For Karch Kiraly, Olympic success has never been measured by what happens during two weeks of competition. It is built over thousands of practices, countless conversations, and hundreds of decisions that few people outside a team will ever notice.
That philosophy has defined one of the most remarkable careers in Olympic history.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 28: Karch Kiraly of the USA Dream Team celebrates shot during the gold medal finals n the 1996 Summer Olympics at the Atlanta Beach on July 28, 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
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Kiraly remains the only athlete to win Olympic gold medals in both indoor and beach volleyball. As head coach of the United States women's national team, he guided the Americans to their first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo before returning to the podium with a silver medal in Paris. Today, he is applying those same lessons to the U.S. men's national team as it prepares for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Yet when asked to describe his first season coaching the men, Kiraly did not begin with offensive systems, blocking schemes, or statistical analysis. He began with people.
"2025 was a year of learning," Kiraly said during an exclusive interview. "Learning these people, learning about them both as people and about their families, and also learning about them as players."
PASAY, LUZON, PHILIPPINES - SEPTEMBER 15: USA head coach Karch Kiraly talks to his players at a timeout during the Volleyball Men's World Championship Philippines Pool D game between USA and Portugal at SM Mall of Asia Arena on September 15, 2025 in Pasay, Luzon, Philippines. (Photo by Mark Fredesjed Cristino/Getty Images)
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Elite coaches are often elite because of their technical expertise. Kiraly is no exception to that rule. But he also recognizes the power of intangibles like relationships. That approach has been shaped by decades inside Olympic volleyball, where the difference between standing atop the podium and watching another nation celebrate is frequently measured by only a handful of points. The United States men's heartbreaking 15-13 fifth-set semifinal loss to Poland in Paris 2024 serves as one reminder.
So too does Tokyo in 2021.
US Women Finally Reach The Top
The American women arrived at the delayed 2021 Olympic Games carrying nearly six decades of delayed gratification. Since women's volleyball debuted at the Olympics in 1964, the United States had repeatedly come close but never won gold. Kiraly's team finally broke through under circumstances unlike any Olympics before it. Pandemic lockdowns disrupted preparation. Competition unfolded inside mostly empty arenas without the energy normally created by Olympic crowds.
"It was a really, really special group," Kiraly recalled. "They fought through a lot of unusual conditions and put together a great tournament."
TOPSHOT - USA's players celebrate their victory in the women's gold medal volleyball match between Brazil and USA during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on August 8, 2021. (Photo by Antonin THUILLIER / AFP) (Photo by ANTONIN THUILLIER/AFP via Getty Images)
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The result was the long overdue gold medal.
That win changed the trajectory of US Women’s volleyball. The challenge in Paris would look entirely different. Instead of entering as breakthrough contenders, the United States women arrived with questions. Results throughout the Olympic cycle had fallen short of expectations. On the eve of the Paris Games they needed to dig in.
Spotlight: Setter Jordan Poulter
Jordan Larson top, Jordyn Poulter bottom L and Justine Wong-Orantes of the United States compete during the women's quarterfinal volleyball match between the United States and Poland at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Aug. 6, 2024. (Photo by Guo Yu/Xinhua via Getty Images)
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Perhaps no player better represented that resilience than setter Jordan Poulter. Less than two years before Paris, Poulter suffered a devastating knee injury that threatened her Olympic future. Much of her rehabilitation unfolded inside otherwise empty gyms at the American Sports Centers in Anaheim.
"There were lots of lonely days," Kiraly said. "Lots of coaches around her, but not a lot of teammates."
She returned just in time to help lead the Americans back to another Olympic final. For Kiraly, Poulter's comeback illustrates an often-overlooked reality about Olympic success. Championships are not always won by the healthiest or even the most talented teams. They are often won by the teams that respond well to adversity.
Game Changers
That was revealed during pool play in Paris. Facing China under a new Olympic tournament format that offered virtually no margin for error, the United States quickly fell behind two sets to none. Under previous Olympic formats, five preliminary matches allowed teams to recover from an early stumble.
Paris offered only three.
Another straight-set defeat could have dramatically altered the Americans' path through the tournament. Kiraly reached down his bench. Only he doesn't call those players substitutes. Years ago, he borrowed a phrase from former U.S. Women's National Soccer Team coach Jill Ellis that has become part of his own coaching vocabulary.
"They're game changers."
PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 29: Kathryn Plummer #22 of Team United States high fives teammates during the Women's Preliminary Round - Pool A match between the United States and China on day three of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris Arena on July 29, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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Outside hitters Avery Skinner and Kathryn Plummer entered the match and immediately shifted its momentum, helping force a deciding fifth set. The United States ultimately lost the match. But it may have been the turning point of the tournament.
Confidence returned.
Momentum shifted.
The Americans advanced to the Olympic final. Kiraly smiles when discussing the phrase because it changes how athletes view their role. A substitute waits. A game changer prepares. The distinction may seem subtle.
That mindset extends well beyond volleyball.
Whether leading an Olympic team, a Fortune 500 company or a startup navigating uncertainty, the strongest organizations create environments where every member believes they can influence the outcome. Leadership, Kiraly has learned, is less about hierarchy than about shared values and beliefs. Those lessons now shape the United States men's program as experienced Olympians return alongside younger players gaining confidence on the international stage.
The US Men's Team In 2028
Matt Anderson, T.J. DeFalco, Jake Hanes and Aaron Russell bring years of elite experience. Younger players such as Ethan Champlin and Jordan Ewert bring fresh energy after valuable international competition during 2025. Kiraly's responsibility is not simply deciding who starts.
PASAY, LUZON, PHILIPPINES - SEPTEMBER 13: USA head coach Karch Kiraly (top) gestures during the Volleyball Men's World Championship Philippines Pool D game between USA and Colombia at SM Mall of Asia Arena on September 13, 2025 in Pasay, Luzon, Philippines. (Photo by Mark Fredesjed Cristino/Getty Images)
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It is creating trust between generations. The chemistry he is building today may ultimately prove more valuable than any tactical adjustment made during an Olympic semifinal two years from now.
Stay With His Process
As Los Angeles moves closer to hosting the 2028 Olympic Games, much of the public conversation will focus on medal projections, roster decisions and championship expectations. Kiraly understands those questions better than anyone. He has lived them as an athlete, assistant coach and head coach. But after all these years, he still returns to the same foundation.
Culture.
Relationships.
Preparation.
Olympic gold, he knows, is earned quietly over thousands of ordinary days long before the world begins watching.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - MAY 16: Karch Kiraly, head coach of the United States looks on during Pool 2 match between China and United States as part of the Women's Volleyball Nations League 2024 on May 16, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
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By the time the Olympic flame is lit above Los Angeles in July 2028, fans will see only the finished product. Karch Kiraly will know they are witnessing something that began years earlier—in empty gyms, in difficult conversations, in family gatherings after practice and in a culture patiently built one teammate at a time.
That may ultimately become his greatest Olympic legacy. %!s()
