6 Mar 2012

Chelsea's owner cops widespread criticism after latest sacking

6:06 am on 6 March 2012

Chelsea football club's billionaire owner Roman Abramovich has been the target of widespread criticism after sacking his seventh manager since he bought the London club in 2003.

In the wake of Andre Villas-Boas's sacking after only 40 games in charge, the England League Managers Association says Abramovich's hire and fire them habit has become an embarrassment to the Premier League.

The Russian's revolving door policy is believed to have cost about 200-million dollars in compensation, salaries and pay-offs.

34 year old Villas-Boas has attracted sympathy from other managers including Brazil's world cup-winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who described the job as "hell" for the next appointee.