Chelsea Release Statement After UK Sanction

Chelsea FC has released a statement (below) after Roma Abramovich was sanctioned by the United Kingdom government.

Chelsea Football Club has been advised that its owner Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned by the UK Government.

By virtue of his 100 per cent ownership of Chelsea FC plc and affiliated entities, Chelsea FC would normally be subject to the same sanctions regime as Mr Abramovich. However, the UK Government has issued a general licence that permits Chelsea FC to continue certain activities

We will fulfil our men’s and women’s team fixtures today against Norwich and West Ham, respectively, and intend to engage in discussions with the UK Government regarding the scope of the licence. This will include seeking permission for the licence to be amended in order to allow the Club to operate as normal as possible.

We will also be seeking guidance from the UK Government on the impact of these measures on the Chelsea Foundation and its important work in our communities.

The club will update further when it is appropriate.

…End of the statement…

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 government have granted Chelsea a special licence to allow fixtures to be fulfilled, staff to be paid and existing ticket holders to attend matches.

But 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