Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned by the Government over his connections to Russian president Vladimir Putin.
All of his UK-based assets are being frozen, including Chelsea FC.
The news has thrown Chelsea into a state of uncertainty, with the club now prohibited from selling tickets, signing players or giving existing players new contracts.
It also raises big questions about Abramovich’s proposed sale of Chelsea, which he announced just last week, saying he would donate all net proceeds to the victims of the war in Ukraine.
Can Roman Abramovich still sell Chelsea?
Abramovich can still sell Chelsea despite his assets being frozen, i‘s Sam Cunningham exclusively revealed on Thursday.
The Russian oligarch will have to apply for a special licence to sell the club he bought back in 2003, and ensure none of the proceeds benefit him.
It is thought that multiple bidders remain interested in purchasing the club, despite the new developments.
Any money from the sale of Chelsea would either be frozen by the Government or can be channeled into a charity. The process will be closely monitored by government officials, who will require guarantees of where charitable donations go before signing off on any sale.
Who could buy Chelsea?
The London club already has plenty of potential suitors. Among them is Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss. News of Chelsea’s sale first broke when he told Swiss newspaper Blick that he had been approached to buy the club.
Wyss, 86, earned his billions as the founder of Synthes, a manufacturer of bone fracture implants and surgical power tools which he sold to pharma behemoth Johnson & Johnson in 2012. He is also one of the world’s foremost philanthropists.
Wyss may form a consortium with US businessman Todd Boehly, who is part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.
British property magnate Nick Candy is reportedly actively exploring a bid for Chelsea – the club he has supported since he was a boy.
The 49-year-old, who is married to pop star Holly Valance, would also be committed to redeveloping Stamford Bridge.
New York jets owner Woody Johnson – who spent time in London as the US’ ambassador under former President Donald Trump – is another potential buyer.
Further interest from the States comes from the Ricketts family, who have owned baseball’s Chicago Cubs since 2009.
Chelsea sanctions explained
Chelsea will still be allowed to:
- Pay the wages of players and staff
- Pay and receive transfer and loan fees that have already been agreed
- Honour existing season tickets
- Continue to operate Stamford Bridge and pay fees associated with that, limited to £500,000
- Cover travel costs to and from fixtures for players and staff, limited to £20,000
The club will not be able to:
- Buy, sell or loan players
- Sign new contracts with players or staff
- Sell new tickets to fans
- Spend money on developing or refurbishing the stadium or training ground
- Sell any new merchandise
The sanctions are due to expire at the end of May.
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Going forward, only season ticket holders and people who already have tickets to games will be able to attend fixtures.
Those fans will also still be allowed to purchase food and drink.
The licence states: “Persons who purchased tickets prior to 10 March 2022, including season tickets purchased before that date, are permitted to attend fixtures and purchase refreshments at fixtures.
“Where persons pay for season tickets in regular instalments, those persons who entered into a payment plan before this date can continue to make payments.”
This means that, as it stands, away fans will not be able to attend fixtures at Stamford Bridge, unless they have already purchased a ticket.
Brentford, who are due to play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 2 April, are “seeking clarification” from the Premier League about whether they can take fans. The club says it has a contractual commitment to take up their allocation of 3,000 tickets.
Whether Chelsea fans will be able to attend away fixtures remains unclear. Proceeds from away tickets go to the home team, but Chelsea typically take a transaction fee.
Tickets for the FA Cup fifth round tie away at Middlesbrough were supposed to go on sale at 10am on Thursday, but were taken offline, suggesting Chelsea fans may be unable to attend future away games. The club said “further updates” on this fixture “will follow in due course”.
How many season ticket holders do Chelsea have?
Chelsea have around 28,000 season ticket holders at Stamford Bridge.
The stadium’s capacity is just under 42,000, meaning the ground will still be half full even when only season ticket holder can attend.
Chelsea’s next home game is against Newcastle on Sunday, for which all tickets have already been sold.
After that they have four remaining Premier League games at home, against Brentford, West Ham, Wolves and Watford.
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