How much money can Chelsea spend to organize home games and to travel to away games after the sanctions against Roman Abramovich?
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced tough sanctions for Russian billionaires such as Roman Abramovich, who will not be allowed to travel within the UK and whose assets will be frozen. In addition, Chelsea is banned from certain faculties.
The United Kingdom has decided to take action in the midst of a boycott, along with the United States, of everything related to Russia and Vladimir Putin's government following the invasion of Ukraine and the latest incidents in Europe. As expected, Abramovich will be hard hit.
More Premier League News:
Speaking to the media on Thursday morning, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that "there can be no safe havens" for people who have supported Putin in his crusade against the neighboring country.
In this regard, Johnson has confirmed tough sanctions against Russian billionaire businessmen on British soil, and one of them is Roman Abramovich. The list also includes Igor Sechin and Oleg Deripaska, alleged allies of Putin, according to the British government.
"Today's sanctions are the latest step in the UK's unwavering support for the Ukrainian people. We will be relentless in pursuing those who allow the murder of civilians, the destruction of hospitals, and the illegal occupation of sovereign allies," said Boris Johnson.
What are the penalties for Chelsea and Abramovich?
Abramovich will not be allowed to travel on British soil and all his assets are "frozen". In addition, Chelsea is banned from selling merchandising and transferring players or new contracts for next season.
Abramovich himself has denied on some occasions those links with Putin of which he is accused and, in fact, the Russian businessman and owner of Chelsea acknowledged that he had to sell the London club so that the Blues would not be affected in what might come.
However, the sale of Chelsea is now stalled. From Boris Johnson's government, they also underline that Abramovich has a net worth of about 11.2 billion euros and "is one of the few oligarchs of the 1990s who maintained his prominence under Putin".
The punishment of Abramovich also limits the funds the club can spend on team travel, capped at £20,000 (€23,800) for away games and £500,000 (€595,000) for matches at Stamford Bridge, which includes security and stadium running costs.
What will happen with Chelsea's current season?
The executive has issued an "initial license" for Chelsea to continue "training, playing its matches and fulfilling its obligations for the remainder of the season," the English league said in a statement.
The Premier will now maintain close contact with both the club and the public administration so that the season can "continue as planned" while complying with the "Government's intentions" regarding the sanctions on Abramovich, imposed in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Chelsea confirmed that the tycoon owns 100% of both the club and its "affiliated entities", so the team "would normally be subject to the same sanctions regime" as its owner.
