Roman Abramovich has been added to Britain’s list of Russian oligarchs who have been sanctioned, with Chelsea now “frozen” as one of his major assets.
Chelsea season ticket holders will still be able to attend games, and the club will still be allowed to operate and compete, but everything else is totally up in the air, and it’s not clear how it will all shake out.
The point of the sanctions is to prevent Abramovich making money from Chelsea, while protecting the club as a “significant cultural asset.”
Of course this changes everything in terms of the sale of the club. We’re hearing mixed reports on whether a sale can actually happen at all, but even if its allowed, this news will significantly change the balance of any existing offers.
The priority is keeping club employees employed, players paid and fixtures fulfilled. The rest is very much guesswork at this point.
