March 16, (THEWILL) – Just over a week after the UK government slapped sanctions on Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, the European Union has done the same.
Over the weekend, reports surfaced that the Russian businessman will face severe measures from the EU, which have now been confirmed. Abramovich is considered to have “deep and close ties to Vladimir Putin” in a document on Tuesday.
The document claimed: “He has had privileged access to the president, and has maintained very good relations with him. This connection to the Russian leader helped him to maintain his considerable wealth.”
The necessity for Chelsea to find new owners has become even more pressing as a result of the latest round of sanctions. Since the Blues were put up for sale last week, 200 investors have indicated interest, but the Boehly-Goldstein-Wyss combination is thought to be the lead.
Chelsea will not be able to sell extra tickets or products until a deal is finalised, and player contracts will not be renewed until then.
The club sparked outrage on Tuesday by proposing that the Blues’ FA Cup tie against Middlesbrough on Saturday be played behind closed doors for ‘sporting integrity’ grounds, as THEWILL reported.
However, that request came despite the fact that the Blues had only sold a portion of their away allocations before the ticket-sale ban was imposed. Chelsea subsequently withdrew their request after widespread public outcry, and the game will proceed as scheduled.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
