Andrew Watson: The 'most influential' black footballer for decades lost to history

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  By Andrew Aloia BBC Sport Last updated on 11 October 2021 11 October 2021 . From the section Football Watson was a trailblazer who helped transform how football was played There are two murals of black footballers facing one another across an alleyway in Glasgow. One helped shape football as we know it, the other is Pele. Andrew Watson captained Scotland to a 6-1 win over England on his debut in 1881. He was a pioneer, the world's first black international, but for more than a century the significance of his achievements went unrecognised. Research conducted over the past three decades has left us with some biographical details: a man descended of slaves and of those who enslaved them, born in Guyana, raised to become an English gentleman and famed as one of Scottish football's first icons. And yet today, 100 years on from his death aged 64, Watson remains something of an enigma, the picture built around him a fractured one. His grainy, faded, sepia image evokes many differen

Roman Abramovich’s Private Jet: A Flying 767 Mansion

 

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Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich may certainly have traveled to witness his team’s recent Champions League win in style. The oligarch philanthropist owns one of the world’s most expensive private jets – a Boeing 767-33AER complete with a gold-gilded banquet hall and the same anti-ballistic system as the VC-25As used as Air Force One.

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Roman Abramovich’s ‘The Bandit’ features the same anti-ballistic system as the Air Force One. Photo: Papas Dos via Wikimedia Commons

We have recently covered the private jet collections of Microsoft founder-turned-philanthropist Bill Gates and Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban. Now, the turn has come to take a closer look at the plane of choice of another high-profile sports team owner and billionaire.

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Banquet hall for 30 people

The star of Chelsea boss and Russian-Israeli oligarch Roman Arkadyevic Abramovich’s private fleet is a customized Boeing 767-33AER valued at $170 million. Officially registered as P4-MES, it has received the nickname ‘The Bandit’ due to its characteristic slanting black stripes by the window of the cockpit.

It was built in 2003 destined for Hawaiian Airlines. However, Hawaiian ended up canceling the order, and Abramovich bought the jet in 2004. It is operated by private air charter company Global Jet Luxembourg, formerly known as Silver Arrows.

Not only does its 4.7-meter wide cabin feature a banquet hall for 30 people, but it is one of the securest aircraft on the planet. The 767-33A has reportedly been equipped with the same kind of anti-missile system found on the modified 747s used as Air Force One. This protects the plane from both ground-to-air and air-to-air attacks by disturbing the guidance systems of potential incoming ballistic missiles. It also jams radio frequencies of non-friendly forces.

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Abramovich’s 767 is nicknamed ‘The Bandit’ due to the slanted black fittings around the cockpit window. Photo: Aleksandr Markin via Wikimedia Commons

 

Full kitchen and gold-plating

The aircraft’s interior is conceptualized by British yacht designer Andrew Winch. It features chestnut furniture, a full kitchen, an office, and, of course, a bedroom with a double bed and ensuite bathroom, all with gold trimmings. The plane is powered by Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines and has a cruising speed of 850 km/h.

 

First Boeing jet in 2001

The first Boeing jet Abramovich acquired, however, was a Boeing 737-700. The business version of Boeing’s Next Generation jet was deemed the perfect option for traveling back and forth from the inaccessible Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, the easternmost federal administrative object in Russia, of which Abramovich was governor from 2001 to 2008.

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Abramovich’s first Boeing jet was a 737 he used to fly back and forth to his post as Governor in Chukotka. Photo: Getty Image

Reportedly, it was part of a settlement reached during Abramovich’s divorce from his second wife, former flight attendant Irina. Data from ch-aviation shows that the aircraft is now registered as N950TR and is operated by Silver Air on behalf of self-help guru Tony Robbins.

Abramovich’s flying mansion regularly features on lists of the most expensive private jets in the world, as is most likely befitting of the plane of someone worth $15.2 billion. However, when considering that just about lands him in the top 100 wealthiest individuals on the planet, one can only imagine what features planes such as the private A380 of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia may have.

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