Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned by the UK government

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been officially sanctioned. All UK assets frozen: sale of the club on hold. No merchandise or ticket sale allowed.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned by the UK government; banned from transactions with UK individuals and businesses; Chelsea given special license to continue to operate; only existing ticket-holders can attend games

Statement also reports that “new contracts, player transfers or merchandise sales for Chelsea have been prohibited”.

Chelsea are now banned from:

Offering new contracts to players or staff – Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta see their deals expire on June 30
Conducting any official transfer business
Selling new tickets to any game for any of their teams – including women and junior sides (season-ticket holders and existing ticket holders only)
Selling merchandise to fans (existing merchandise can be sold via third parties)
No stadium work or redevelopment
Spending over £500,000 on security, stewarding and catering costs per home match and over £20,000 expenses per away games
Nadine Dorries, the minister for Sport and Culture, tweeted: “I know this brings some uncertainty, but the Government will work with the league & clubs to keep football being played while ensuring sanctions hit those intended. Football clubs are cultural assets and the bedrock of our communities. We’re committed to protecting them.”

 

2/4 Our priority is to hold those who have enabled the Putin regime to account. Today’s sanctions obviously have a direct impact on Chlesea & its fans. We have been working hard to ensure the club & the national game are not unnecessarily harmed by these important sanctions.

— Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) March 10, 2022

4/4 I know this brings some uncertainty, but the Government will work with the league & clubs to keep football being played while ensuring sanctions hit those intended. Football clubs are cultural assets and the bedrock of our communities. We're committed to protecting them.

— Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) March 10, 2022

A government statement said: “Given the significant impact that today’s sanctions would have on Chelsea football club and the potential knock-on effects of this, the Government has this morning published a licence which authorises a number of football-related activities to continue at Chelsea.

Topics

UK Government Chelsea  Roman Abramovich Football  Sports  Kolkata