Chelsea FC owner, Roman Abramovich sanctioned by UK
Mr. Abramovich had announced that he was putting Chelsea FC up for sale amid reports that he was to be put on UK's sanctions list
Multiple reports have confirmed that the owner of Chelsea Football Club, Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned by the UK government. This comes as part of efforts by the government to crack the whip on wealthy Russians with assets in the country.
Roman is one of seven other Russian oligarchs who had sanctions placed on them on Thursday. There had been multiple calls by some MPs, including Labour MP Chris Bryant, for stiffer aggression to be shown to Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
The Chelsea owner had announced his intention to sell the club in a statement released last week. Previously, in a move that was interpreted by some as an attempt to ward off potential loss of the club through sanctions, Mr. Abramovich had announced through another club statement that he was “giving trustees of Chelsea’s charitable foundation, the stewardship and care” of the club.
However, further reports indicated that the trustees were set to reject this proposition due to the fact that under the constitution of the Chelsea Foundation, such stewardship was deemed legally unfeasible.
The Russian thus announced his intention to sell the club and was reported to have received at least ten bids from interested parties.
It is expected that the sanctions from the government will be enforceable before the club is sold. Mr. Abramovich has valued Chelsea Club at an estimated £3bn.