Carlo Ancelotti: Roman Abramovich sacked me for subbing off Fernando Torres

Updated: 24 Nov, 2025 • 0 • min read

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Carlo Ancelotti: Roman Abramovich sacked me for subbing off Fernando Torres

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Carlo Ancelotti has opened up on the bizarre circumstances surrounding his Chelsea sacking, claiming Roman Abramovich dismissed him after he substituted the Russian owner's favourite player, Fernando Torres, in a crucial Champions League tie.

Ancelotti, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2009, delivered the club's first and only Premier League and FA Cup double in his debut season.

But the Italian's second campaign unravelled, with elimination at the hands of Manchester United in the Champions League quarter-finals proving fatal for his reign.

Abramovich's Warning Before United Clash

In his new autobiography The Dream - Winning the Champions League, Ancelotti recalled how Abramovich personally intervened before the second leg against United in 2011.

The night before the second leg, Abramovich warned the squad that if they didn't win there would be changes.

He then told me that if we lost, I should not bother coming back in the next day.

With Torres struggling for form and confidence following his £50 million move from Liverpool, Ancelotti made the bold call to substitute the striker at half-time.

The decision, though, was interpreted as a direct challenge to Abramovich's authority.

Torres was his personal decision and substituting him was a direct rebuke to the owner.

Momentarily, I had forgotten that, ultimately, you can't beat the owner.

Abramovich's Ruthless Standards

Chelsea were knocked out of Europe and went on to finish second in the Premier League.

Ancelotti was dismissed after the final game of the season, a 1-0 defeat at Everton, with chief executive Ron Gourlay breaking the news in a Goodison Park corridor.

Despite the abrupt ending, Ancelotti maintains fond memories of his Chelsea tenure.

Perhaps Abramovich was right to let me go. The following season Chelsea finally gave him the Champions League - although he did fire my successor six months after he got his hands on the trophy.

As for me, I remember every day that I was at Chelsea as a good day.

Legacy at Chelsea

During his two years at the club, Ancelotti managed stars such as John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, and Ashley Cole, all of whom rallied around him after his departure, taking him out for a farewell dinner in London.

The revelation highlights once more Abramovich's uncompromising pursuit of success at Chelsea, where even a double-winning manager could not escape the axe.

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