Roman Abramovich Chelsea news
Roman Abramovich_Chelsea

Chelsea had been put up for sale by Roman Abramovich just a few days ago and now in a major political move, the British government has decided to sanction Roman Abramovich and freeze his assets, including Chelsea Football Club.

This means the Blues have been classified as a ‘distressed asset’ and they wouldn’t be able to play any more games but thankfully, the government has allowed the club to continue playing but only under special conditions and restrictions.

The pressure had been growing on Roman Abramovich because of his close ties with the Russian government and now he becomes one of seven Russian oligarchs who have been penalised.

Freezing of assets and sanction would generally mean that Chelsea would not have been able to play any more games but the British government have laid out some special conditions, which need to be fulfilled for the London side to continue with their schedule.

Here are some of the conditions which need to be fulfilled while there is a sanction on Roman Abramovich:

1. Chelsea will be allowed to spend a maximum of £20,000 for their away games. This will be really tough, especially for their away games in the Champions League.

2. Until further notice, the club can spend a max of £500,000 on hosting home games and this includes security and catering.

3. The Blues cannot buy new players and the current players will not be able to sign new contracts. This is also an issue because several first-team regulars are soon to be out of contracts.

4. They won’t be able to sell any more merchandise which is why they had to close the club’s shop on Thursday.

5. The London side won’t be able to sell any fresh tickets for any of their matches but season ticket holders and people who have already bought tickets will be allowed to watch matches for the remainder of the season.

6. The most important amongst these restrictions is that while the club can still be sold but since Roman Abramovich is under a sanction, the proceeds of the sale can’t go to him.

As per the latest reports, the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport(DCMS) along with the Treasury and the Premier League are chalking out a plan where the Chelsea Football Club could be sold but at this point in time, it looks like a very difficult and complicated process.

Some sources are also claiming that Chelsea could go into administration, in which case, the Blues will have to face a points deduction.

Right now though, the primary focus will be to get over with the season and finish as strongly as possible but if this crisis is not resolved soon enough then the London side will be run out of funds and might fall into the depths they were prior to Abramovich’s acquisition in 2003.

UPDATE ON CHELSEA SPONSORSHIP:

The club’s shirt sponsor Three have suspended its sponsorship with Chelsea.

The official statement read: “In light of the government’s recently announced sanctions, we have requested Chelsea Football Club temporarily suspend our sponsorship of the club.

“Including the removal of our brand from shirts and around the stadium until further notice. We recognise that this decision will impact the many Chelsea fans who follow their team passionately.

“However, we feel that given the circumstances, and the Government sanction that is in place, it is the right thing to do.”

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