Chelsea Football Club accounts and credit cards have been temporarily frozen following the sanctions imposed by the British government on its Russian owner Roman Abramovich, according to press reports.
All assets of the Russian billionaire were frozen on Thursday except for the club, which was allowed to continue “football-related activities”.
But the European champions in the last edition could not function as an institution, and were prevented from selling match tickets or merchandise.
Several outlets, including The Times, reported that banks had frozen Chelsea’s accounts and credit cards.
Abramovich was one of seven Russian “oligarchs” who were subjected to sanctions by the British government over their country’s military operation in Ukraine and for their proximity to President Vladimir Putin.
Abramovich had previously announced that he would sell the club he bought in 2003 and achieved 19 titles during his reign.
Chelsea said in a statement on Thursday that “by virtue of its 100 per cent ownership of Chelsea Football Club and its subsidiaries, Chelsea Football Club is subject to the same sanctions regime as Abramovich. However, the UK government has issued a general license allowing Chelsea FC to continue certain activities.
“We intend to engage in discussions with the UK government regarding the scope of the license,” he added.
This will include seeking permission to amend the license in order to allow the club to operate as normally as possible. We will also seek guidance from the UK government on the impact of these measures on the Chelsea Foundation and its important work in our communities.”
Abramovich announced last week that he had made the “very difficult” decision to sell Chelsea, vowing that the proceeds would go to the victims of the war in Ukraine.
The license allows the club to continue paying staff and players’ wages and the costs of hosting matches at its stadium, “Stamford Bridge”, but the travel costs for matches abroad have been set at twenty thousand pounds per match, which may cause him a problem in his matches outside his home in the Champions League, the first of which is when he is a guest on the French night Wednesday in the second leg of the final price.