The UK government has sanctioned Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, prohibiting him from transacting with UK citizens and enterprises; Chelsea has been granted a special license to continue operations; and only existing ticket holders are permitted to attend games.
This is according to the recently released “CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK”
Chelsea has been granted a special license by the government to allow fixtures to be completed, employees to be paid, and existing ticket holders to attend matches. It’s unclear whether the license applies only to Chelsea’s main squad or to all of the club’s teams, including women’s and junior teams.
Today, the UK government havesanctioned Roman Abramovich for being “associated with a person who is or has been involved in destabilising Ukraine and undermining and threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, namely Vladimir Putin, with whom Abramovich has had a close relationship for decades”, freezing all of his UK-based assets, which of course (still) include Chelsea Football Club.
Nadine Dorries, the minister for Sport and Culture, has 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 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.”
Martyn Ziegler is the chief sports reporter for The Times tweeted to us followers saying” Massive news: Roman Abramovich sanctioned. All UK assets frozen. Chelsea can still operate under a special licence but sale now on hold. Club will not be allowed to sell any more tickets – only season ticket holders can go to games for the foreseeable future.”
“Also: no merchandise sales allowed; no player transfers or new contracts; catering services will be permitted.” He added.
