“If there had been no Chelsea, there would have been no Guus Hiddink in Russia,” he told the Vesti TV channel. “As for me, I have a more serious task as I want to create a new system for preparing Russian basketball players.”

“Essentially, it’s about training the athletes using techniques from the NBA, first in student basketball, then spreading it to junior sporting schools to let the players who are trained there have a chance to get into professional clubs,” he added.

In his view, Russia should have a strong student basketball league where young athletes will be able to train regularly. The league should be created at major universities. Prokhorov said that the universities involved will be supported not only in terms of training but also financially.

“Now we are discussing this question with the Moscow State University,” he said. “We have also spoken to a Krasnoyarsk region governor who wants to have a strong student team in his region.”

The businessman estimated the annual cost of the project to range from $10 million to $20 million, adding that he expects no immediate profit from the investment.

“For 10 to 15 years the project will exist largely thanks to enthusiastic athletes and businessmen who love the sport, or thanks to governors who, being sports fans themselves, support it in their regions,” he said.

Prokhorov recently topped Russia's list of richest people, beating fellow sports fan and Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich.