Abramovich sanction give Chelsea the ‘blues’

Article posted by Coliseum, March 11^th, 2022

Image: MJR Group Ltd./Coliseum

The Premier League team Chelsea F.C. have been banned from selling match tickets and only season ticket holders can attend games after the club’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the United Kingdom Government as part of the latter’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The move is intended to stop Abramovich making money from Chelsea.

‘The Sun’ stated that Abramovich, who has close ties to the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has had his assets frozen leaving the European champions in limbo.

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The Chelsea Football Club, often referred to as Chelsea, is an English professional football club based in Fulham, West London (UK). Founded in 1905, the club competes in the Premier League, the top division of English football.

The Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, adjacent to the borough of Chelsea in South West London. It is the home of Premier League club Chelsea F.C. With a capacity of 40,834, it is the ninth largest venue of the 2021-2022 Premier League seasons.

One of the results of the above development is that Chelsea will not be allowed to sell home and away match tickets.

‘The Sun’ further stated that only season ticket holders will be allowed to attend the ‘Blues’ remaining games for the campaign, which will affect the crowd numbers.

The ‘Blues’ are believed to have around 28,000 season ticket holders but Stamford Bridge’s capacity is just over 40,000.

Away fans of Chelsea’s rivals could be able to attend games with Premier League chiefs working on a solution.

Chelsea could give away their away fan allocation to their opponents for FREE.

Any proceeds of the ticket sales will go directly to the Premier League and that money might then be sent to a Ukraine-based humanitarian relief.

Supporters will be allowed to buy food and drink in the ground.

But as a result of the sanctions Abramovich will now not be able to sell the club.

Chelsea was put up for sale by Abramovich last week and he was hoping to get £3 billion.

The ‘Blues’ have also been slapped with a transfer ban and are unable to give out any new contracts.

Chelsea’s hopes of signing its peer team West Ham United F.C. Vice-Captain Declan Rice in the summer may have just come crashing down, handing a transfer boost to other interested parties.

But despite the drama surrounding the ‘Blues’ off the pitch, the game against their peer team Norwich City F.C. is still ON.

The ‘BBC Sport’ stated that the Government has issued a special licence that will allow fixtures to be fulfilled, staff to be paid and existing ticket holders to attend matches.

Chelsea have said they “intend to engage in discussions” with the Government and will seek amendments to the special licence to “allow the club to operate as normal as possible”.

The ‘BBC Sport’ further stated that meanwhile, Chelsea’s shirt sponsor, telecommunications company Three, has requested that the ‘Blues’ “temporarily suspend” its deal with the club.

Three has asked for “the removal of our brand from shirts and around the stadium until further notice”.

The company added, “We recognize that this decision will impact the many Chelsea fans that 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.”

Chelsea will be unable to buy or sell players, or offer new contracts, while the sanctions are imposed on Abramovich. Chelsea-owned players who are on loan at other clubs will be able to continue to play for those clubs.

The London club’s merchandise shop has also been shut.

Observed former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin, “Once you start digging down into what this could do – yes, they can play their games but will they even be able [to]? Massive amounts of questions but yes, it’s not hyperbole to say the future of the club is in serious danger.”

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