UK sanctions Roman Abramovich and bars sale of Chelsea Football Club
What you need to know:
- It remains to be seen as to what this means for the future of Chelsea Football Club, with 20 credible parties interested in purchasing the club from Abramovich.
London. Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich has been hit with an assets freeze and travel ban as part of new UK government sanctions targeting seven Russian oligarchs.
The owner put the club up for sale on March 2 but this is now on hold due to the the sanctioning.
The UK Government have released a statement confirming the sanctioning of Abramovich.
The club have been given a special licence to continue with football related activities but the sale effectively bars the sale of the club following Roman Abramovich’s sanctioning.
In a statement released by gov.uk, it states: "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.
"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 licence will only allow certain explicitly named actions to ensure the designated individual is not able to circumvent UK sanctions. The licence will be kept under constant review and we will work closely with the football authorities."
It remains to be seen as to what this means for the future of Chelsea Football Club, with 20 credible parties interested in purchasing the club from Abramovich.
Furthermore, only season ticket holders will now be able to attend matches with no more tickets allowed to be sold during the sanctioning.
This throws the future of the club into doubt, with more to follow regarding the sanctioning.
