In times of war extraordinary situations arise. No matter how distant or remote a conflict may seem, it can produce unprecedented consequences. And this is how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine hurt the Chelsea, which has little to do with the dispute. The English team was strongly affected by sanctions applied to its owner, Roman Abramovichlinked to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Abramovich, the one targeted by the sanctions. Photo: AFP.
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The businessman, owner of the Blues, faced various penalties from the British government. They forced him out of office, but they also froze his assets, so he can’t sell the club. And in turn, they applied different measures that directly affected the team: cannot renew contracts, buy or sell players, sell merchandise… But one of the measures that annoyed the London fans the most was the ban on selling tickets for their matches.
Change in the sanctions to Chelsea. Photo: EFE.
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In this context, the club requested to play their next commitments for the Champions League and FA Cup behind closed doors, since otherwise only the visiting side would appear at Stamford Bridge. But to the joy of the Blues, the government reconsidered the situation and applied a special license to enable the sale of tickets.
Chelsea may have fans. Photo: AFP.
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FOR WHICH MATCHES WILL TICKETS BE SOLD?
The new exception will apply to the quarterfinals of the Championsagainst him Real Madrid, and for the semifinal of the FA Cupbefore him Crystal Palace. However, the meetings Premier League they will not have additional sales and only those who have their season ticket can attend (the same rules apply for the club’s women’s team).
Chelsea will go against Real. Photo: REUTERS.
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WHAT THEY SAY FROM THE GOVERNMENT
British Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston detailed: “The Government has modified Chelsea’s license so that fans can access tickets for away matches, Cup matches and women’s matches”.
Tickets will be sold to the public. Photo: REUTERS.
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And he explained that they will continue to see ways to affect the club as little as possible. “Since Roman Abramovich was placed on the UK sanctions list for his links to Vladimir Putin, we have worked hard to ensure that the club can continue to play football at the same time that compliance with the sanctions regime is guaranteed,” he said.
Chelsea and the anti-war protests. Photo: AFP.
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WHEN DOES CHELSEA PLAY?
The saturday april 2when football is reactivated at the club level – after the national team matches – The last champions of the Champions League will receive Brentford for the Premier. Four days later, on Wednesday 6, they will have the duel against Real for Orejona (the first leg is played in London). The second leg, at the Bernabéu, will be played on Tuesday 12/4.
The Blues aim for two titles. Photo: AP.
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Those of Stamford Bridge fight on two fronts: they want to defend the Champions League and a rematch in the FA Cup. Those from the capital were the last to conquer the continent, after beating Manchester City of Pep in the final (1-0), and they want to repeat the feat. But they also aim to consecrate themselves in the local cup, after having fallen in the last instance of the last edition: they lost the final against Leicester (1-0). In the league they are third, but they are 11 points behind the leader and seem out of the race.
