Local Business

In the midst of a grand event for the 2010 World Cup, a titan of the world is lobbying intensively to FIFA officials in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The tycoon, Roman Abramovich’s football team met officials of international organizations in order to encourage Russia to host the 2018 World Cup.

In fact, with the captain of teams of Russia, Andrey Arshavin, on Thursday last, he officially began campaigning for the Russian ambitions.

Russia will compete with nine candidates to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022. If Abramovich managed to lobby and campaign, the Russians likely selected as the host in the determination by the 24 members of FIFA’s Executive Committee in December.

Then who the real Roman Abramovich, businesspeople who actually very keen to fight Russia to host the World Cup eight years?

Russian billionaire Abramovich is known as. In March 2010, Forbes magazine placed it in the top 50 of the 1000 rankings of the world’s richest people. In a relatively young age, 44 years, he has a wealth of U.S. $ 11.2 billion, or Rp103 trillion.

Abramovich’s surprise action carried out in 2003. At that time, he bought the famous football club in England at Chelsea. This acquisition has changed the marketing strategy in the “game” buying and selling players.

With extraordinary richness, he has the ability to offer large salaries to players to join his club. As a result, other teams have to install a high bid to restrain their players.

He has an investment company Millhouse Capital and served as governor in Chokotka in Russia. However, he also lived in West London. In fact, among the citizens of Britain, he was known as the second richest person in the country.

Although known as an influential person on the ball, oil and politics, Abramovich is the figure who rarely threw statement to the public, both about life and work.

Abramovich was born on October 24 in 1966 from the Jewish family in Lithuania. His mother, Irina Ostrowski Abramovich died when Roman was 2 years old. His father died in accidents in construction in two years later.

Because of that, Roman was raised by his grandparents at home in Lithuania. Roman attended the Industrial Institute in Ukhta before the Soviet soldiers recruited as soldiers. After returning from the army, Abramovich had attended the Moscow State Institute of Transport before leaving the academic world for good.

When Mikhail Gorbachev allowed small business developed in Russia after the end of communism in the late 1980s, Roman Abramovich began selling plastic ducks from his small apartment in Moscow.

Several years later, Abramovich has invested in other businesses. Between 1992 until 1995, Abramovich has created a company that acts as an intermediary, to concentrate on oil trading. In this period, he became involved in a series of controversial oil transactions.

In 1995, he partnered with Boris Berezovsky bought the controlling shares of Sibneft oil giant companies worth U.S. $ 100 million. At that time, the value of the company about U.S. $ 150 million, but its value jumped shortly after acquisition. In fact, many Russians startled and questioned the estimated price before the stock sale.

In 2005, he was a nice profit. He sells 73 percent stake in Sibneft to Gazprom gas giant worth U.S. $ 13 billion.

Outside business activities, Abramovich began more actively in social activities in 1999 in Chukotka, the region is poor in cold region of Siberia, Russia. Abramovich helps children and charitable foundation established to help the people of Chukotka.

In December 2000, Abramovich was elected governor in the region after investing millions of pounds of money to build educational, hospitals, and universities.

Abramovich was considered instrumental in opening employment opportunities, encourage growth and access to education for local residents. Abramovich was re-elected governor in 2005 for another term.