Thunderbolt in the file of the sale of Chelsea. The club was already in a blurry situation after it was put up for sale by Roman Abramovich, its Russian president, who was singled out for its closeness to Valdimir Putin. The situation is now even more confusing for Blues fans.
The British government announced on Thursday to sanction Abramovich for his support of Putin in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, freezing his assets. Consequently, the sale of his club was immediately suspended. The news was immediately followed by a reaction from London’s main shirt sponsor ‘Three’. The telecommunications company is considering reviewing its partnership with the European champions following the sanctions.
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Only subscribers will be able to go to the stadium
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries says Chelsea will receive a “special license”, which would allow the London club to continue to fulfill its sporting obligations, remunerate its staff and allow season ticket holders to continue to go to the stadium.
However, the freezing of Abramovich’s assets is intended to prevent him from enjoying his properties, and therefore the club. It is therefore now impossible for Chelsea to sell new tickets for the next matches, to buy or sell players and to make a profit with derivative products.
“I know this is causing some uncertainty, but the government will work with the league and the clubs to keep football going while ensuring the penalties hit those who are targeted.” said the Secretary of State on Twitter. The government is also considering including in the “special license“the possibility of putting the club back on sale. Provided that its owner does not receive a capital gain.
“Today’s sanctions are the latest step in the UK’s unwavering support for the people of Ukraine. We will be ruthlesssaid Boris Johnson. Described by the British government as a “pro-Kremlin oligarch”, Abramovich, who has always denied any closeness to Putin, was also issued a travel ban. Seven other Russian businessmen are affected by the sanctions.
Chelsea will engage in talks
Chelsea have said they want to talk to the British government and ask them to change the license granted to the football club, so that they can “operate as normally as possible” after the sanctions imposed on its owner on Thursday. The club said it had “intend to enter into discussions with the UK Government regarding the scope of the licence. This will include a request for permission for the license to be amended to allow the club to operate as normally as possible“, following the announcement of a freeze on Roman Abramovich’s assets as part of retaliatory measures taken against Russian oligarchs linked to the Kremlin, after the invasion of Ukraine.
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