Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich sanctioned by UK Government
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
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned by the UK government - meaning he is now unable to sell the club.
Abramovich has had "his assets frozen, a prohibition on transactions with UK individuals and businesses, a travel ban and transport sanctions" imposed on him.
The sanctions are intended to stop the 55-year-old from making any money in the UK - and this includes from Chelsea. An application to the UK government can be made to sell Chelsea in the future as long as Abramovich does not profit or make any money from the transaction.
The government has granted Chelsea a special license to allow fixtures to be fulfilled, staff to be paid, and existing ticket holders to attend matches.
But Chelsea is 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."
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 license which authorizes several football-related activities to continue at Chelsea.
"This includes permissions for the club to continue playing matches and other football-related activity which will, in turn, protect the Premier League, the wider football pyramid, loyal fans, and other clubs. This license will only allow certain explicitly named actions to ensure the designated individual is not able to circumvent UK sanctions. The license will be kept under constant review and we will work closely with the football authorities."
Sky Sports News understands that Chelsea and government officials will meet on Thursday but the club has indicated that Thursday night's game with Norwich will go ahead.
A Chelsea Supporters' Trust Spokesperson said: "The CST notes with concern the Government's statement regarding the owner. Supporters must be involved in any conversation regarding ongoing impacts on the club and its global fan base.
"The CST implores the Government to conduct a swift process to minimize the uncertainty over Chelsea's future, for supporters and for supporters to be given a golden share as part of a sale of the club."
Abramovich, who last month put Chelsea up for sale due to the threat of government action, has been sanctioned along with six of Russia's wealthiest and most influential oligarchs, whose business empires, wealth, and connections are closely associated with Vladimir Putin's regime. They have a net worth of £15bn.
Those sanctioned are:
-Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea FC and has stakes in steel giant Evraz and Norilsk Nickel
-Oleg Deripaska has stakes in En+ Group
-Igor Sechin is the chief executive of Rosneft
-Andrey Kostin is chairman of VTB bank
-Alexei Miller is CEO of energy company Gazprom
-Nikolai Tokarev is president of the Russian state-owned pipeline company Transneft
-Dmitri Lebedev is chairman of the Board of Directors of Bank Rossiya
-Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "There can be no safe havens for those who have supported Putin's vicious assault on Ukraine.
"Today's sanctions are the latest step in the UK's unwavering support for the Ukrainian people. We will be ruthless in pursuing those who enable the killing of civilians, destruction of hospitals, and illegal occupation of sovereign allies."
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: "Today's sanctions show once again that oligarchs and kleptocrats have no place in our economy or society. With their close links to Putin, they are complicit in his aggression.
"The blood of the Ukrainian people is on their hands. They should hang their heads in shame.
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"Our support for Ukraine will not waver. We will not stop in this mission to ramp up the pressure on the Putin regime and choke off funds to his brutal war machine.
Chelsea's shirt sponsor, telecommunications company Three, has placed their three-year deal which was announced in January 2020, under review. A company spokesperson said: "We are in discussions with Chelsea and reviewing our position."
Abramovich has owned Chelsea since 2003 and the club has won 21 trophies in 19 years during his stewardship.
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Source: SkySports
