The British government has finally sanctioned Roman Abramovich for his ties to Vladimir Putin. Two weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Boris Jonshon’s cabinet has carried out a new package of sanctions that this time do affect the owner of Chelsea up to now, but what will happen from now on?
The owner of the Stamford Bridge team has his assets frozen, so in practice Chelsea is no longer his property. But to make it clear enough, Downing Street has made the full consequences of the sanction public: Abramovich will not be able to dispose of his assets, he will not be able to make transfers with individuals or companies in the United Kingdom and he will not be able to visit the country.
With these measures, the sale process of the blue team has changed, and it will no longer be the Russian businessman who decides on the sale of the club. The British government will be in charge of the necessary steps to find a new owner, although Abramovich could still demand the repayment of the loans he granted to Chelsea, valued at nearly 2,000 million euros.
Last week, the Russian owner reported in an official statement that he forgave Chelsea the debt. Although recent events could make him change his mind. However, the result would be the same, because his intention was to donate the money received from the sale to the Ukrainian victims in the conflict.
The penalty in detail
The British government has embargoed Chelsea, and for the time being, new agreements or new loans are prohibited. This does not mean that closed agreements or loans already granted cannot be paid by the club. Equally, income from the commercial area or television rights will continue to be exploited but will remain frozen and the team will not be able to dispose of them.
All the movements of the London club will be supervised by the Johnson government, which has limited spending for team trips to 24,000 euros, at 600,000 euros for security and services for each match, and something very striking: it will not allow the sale of tickets. Only subscribers will be able to access the stadium, which during the period they consider, cannot be reformed.
