March 11, (THEWILL) – Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, has backed the UK government’s decision to sanction Roman Abramovich, owner of English Premier League side Chelsea FC.
As THEWILL reported, in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Abramovich’s assets were frozen on Thursday due to the oligarch’s perceived ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Presently, Chelsea can operate under a special licence until May 31, but they will not be able to sell tickets or any merchandise, nor will they be able to acquire or sell players under the dictates of the special licence.
Abramovich had been looking for a buyer for the west London club since the initial possibility of sanctions became obvious and he still has the chance to conclude a deal if it can be established that he will not financially benefit from it.
Klopp expressed concern for Blues manager, Thomas Tuchel, as well as the players and staff, but maintained the decision to sanction the club’s Russian owner was the correct one.
In his pre-match press conference ahead of Liverpool’s Saturday fixture against Brighton, Klopp said: “Thomas [Tuchel] and I know each other but we are not that close that we chat around the games yes but not in other moments.
“For him and the players and all the employees at Chelsea, it’s not something they are responsible for, what is happening around them.
“One man is really responsible and that is Vladimir Putin. I don’t know about Roman Abramovich’s role in these kinds of things but over the years you could guess maybe he is pretty close.
“I think what the British government did was right to be 100 percent honest, but it is still not cool for all the people at Chelsea and the supporters. I get that, but I think the things the government did were right.”
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.
