Ken Bates: Former Chelsea and Leeds chairman dies 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'

Sky Sports News chief correspondent Kaveh Solhekol:

"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."

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