Roman Abramovich disqualified as Chelsea director

UK government welcomes move by the Premier League

Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich has had his UK assets frozen by the British government for his ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin. AFP

Graffiti in support of the football club near Stamford Bridge in London, the home ground of Chelsea FC. The club's owner owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government on Thursday. PA

A member of Chelsea Football Club's security staff walks at the entrance to Stamford Bridge, following Britain's imposing of sanctions on the club's Russian owner, Roman Abramovich. Reuters

A board at Chelsea Football Club's stadium, Stamford Bridge, advises visitors that all tickets are sold out for the next game, versus Newcastle United, following Britain's imposing of sanctions on the club’s Russian owner, Roman Abramovich. Reuters

Graffiti on boarding at a construction site next to Chelsea Football Club at Stamford Bridge. Getty Images

Russian billionaire and owner of Chelsea football club Roman Abramovich. Reuters

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been disqualified as a director at the English top-flight football club after he was sanctioned by the British government in connection with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Premier League said on Saturday.

The UK government hit Abramovich with sanctions on Thursday, freezing all the Russian billionaire's British assets.

“The board's decision does not impact on the club's ability to train and play its fixtures, as set out under the terms of a licence issued by the government which expires on May 31, 2022,” the league said.

Chelsea's problems continued to mount after several of its credit cards were temporarily frozen during bank assessments of its new operating licence, reports said.

The European and world club champions continue to operate under special, stringent conditions after the British government claimed to have proven Abramovich’s links to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Abramovich, 55, has denied links to Russia’s regime, but Mr Putin’s war in Ukraine has led to a major geopolitical shift.

“We welcome the Premier League's action to disqualify Roman Abramovich as a director of the football club. The government has made clear that we need to hold to account those who have enabled the Putin regime,” a spokesman for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said.

“We are open to a sale of the club and would consider an application for a licence to allow that to happen,” he said.

Chelsea’s strict licence is designed to ensure Abramovich will not profit from the Stamford Bridge club’s continued operations, with ticket sales banned and an embargo on new transfers and new contracts for existing stars. The club shop has been forced to shut.

Those new government regulations have led to several company credit cards being paused on a short-term basis as lenders seek more detail on the new licence.

It is understood Chelsea officials held talks with UK government officials on Friday on amendments to it.

Chelsea expect negotiations with Downing Street to continue into next week.

A 'Closed' sign is seen on the Chelsea shop at Stamford Bridge in London on March 10, 2022, as Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich was hit with a UK assets freeze. AFP

Chelsea's stadium Stamford Bridge was quiet on the day Russian owner Roman Abramovich was hit with a UK assets freeze. AFP

The Chelsea club crest outside Stamford Bridge. AFP

Members of the media work outside Stamford Bridge. AFP

Chelsea's stadium on the day Russian owner Roman Abramovich was hit with a UK assets freeze. AFP

A 'sold out' sign is seen beside information on Chelsea's next home fixture. AFP

A merchandise store closed at Stamford Bridge. EPA

A view of Stamford Bridge. PA

Martyn Hardiman with his son Peter, 2, after purchasing the last club shirt before the store closed. PA

General view of Chelsea's ground in west London. EPA

Fans take pictures outside Stamford Bridge. PA

A fan takes a selfie outside of Stamford Bridge. PA

The Premier League club will seek a relaxation of limits such as the £20,000 travel cap for away matches, with a typical Premier League spend closer to £30,000 a match.

The £20,000 cap would almost certainly place their Champions League tie against Lille in France in jeopardy.

Chelsea are thought to have their travel and accommodation bills already paid for the rest of this season for fixtures, but this does not cover cup competitions.

The Blues are scheduled to face Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, March 19.

Under the current rules, Chelsea cannot sell any new tickets for that match, which would severely hit Championship club Middlesbrough’s gate revenue.

Chelsea cannot sell any new match programmes for Sunday’s Premier League home clash with Newcastle United, so vendors are thought to be unable to work at Stamford Bridge.

Abramovich put Chelsea up for sale on March 2, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with his ownership set to end after 19 years and 18 major trophies.

1) League Cup, February 2005: Chelsea won their first trophy under Roman Abramovich by defeating Liverpool 3-2 after extra time in the 2003 League Cup final. John Arne Riise scored early for Liverpool before a Steven Gerrard own goal sent the game into extra time. Didier Drogba and Mateja Kezman made it 3-1 to Chelsea and Antonio Nunez pulled one back for Liverpool. The Abramovich era had begun. AFP

2) Premier League, 2004/05: Jose Mourinho lived up to his self-appointed 'Special One' tag by guiding Chelsea to their first Premier League title and first top-flight title in 50 years. The Blues marched away with the league, finishing 12 points clear and losing just once. AFP

3) Premier League 2005/06: Back-to-back titles for the Blues who were once again head and shoulders above their rivals, finishing eight points ahead of runners-up Manchester United. Getty Images

4) League Cup, February 2007: Trophy No 4 was delivered at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, where Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-1 in the final. Theo Walcott put the Gunners in front but a Drogba double ensured the Blues emerged victorious. AFP

5) FA Cup, May 2007: Chelsea missed out on the league title but finished the season with the Cup double, beating Manchester United 1-0 after extra time, courtesy of another Drogba goal. AFP

6) FA Cup, May 2009: Interim manager Guus Hiddink left his mark on Chelsea by guiding the club to an FA Cup triumph. After falling behind to a first-minute Louis Saha goal, Chelsea fought back through Drogba and Frank Lampard to defeat Everton 2-1. AFP

7) Premier League, 2009/2010: After three years without a league title, Chelsea came roaring back to win the 2010 trophy. Following the dogged and pragmatic style under Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti got the team playing with flair as the Blues scored 103 goals and won the title by one point ahead of Manchester United. AFP

8) FA Cup, May 2010: Chelsea successfully defended the FA Cup with a 1-0 win over Portsmouth. No prizes for guessing the matchwinner as Drogba struck to secure the double. AFP

9) FA Cup, May 2012: After the ill-fated spell of Andre Villas-Boas, former Chelsea midfielder Roberto Di Matteo came in to steady the ship. Steady the ship he did as Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-1 in the FA Cup final. Ramires and Drogba scored Chelsea's goals before Andy Carroll pulled one back for Liverpool. AFP

10) Uefa Champions League, May 2012: The 10th trophy under Abramovich and the one the Russian craved above all others. Chelsea were crowned European champions in improbable style, riding their luck to defeat Bayern Munich on penalties inside the German club's own stadium. Drogba's header levelled five minutes after Thomas Muller had put Bayern in the lead to force extra time, where Arjen Robben then missed a penalty. It was then left to the main man Drogba to seal it from the penalty spot. AFP

11) Uefa Europa League, May 2013: A disappointing Champions League campaign saw Chelsea drop into the Europa League, but the Blues made their superiority count in Europe's second-tier tournament. Fernando Torres gave Chelsea the lead in the final, before Oscar Cardozo equalised from the spot. Branislav Ivanovic secured the trophy with the winner in injury time. AFP

12) League Cup, March 2015: The return of Mourinho brought with it more domestic success, starting with a third League Cup under Abramovich. Chelsea claimed a 2-0 victory over Tottenham in the final, John Terry and Diego Costa with the goals. AFP

13) Premier League, 2014/15: Mourinho secured a double as Chelsea won their first league title in five years. It was a convincing season for the Blues, who finished eight points clear of runners-up Manchester City. AFP

14) Premier League, 2016/17: Antonio Conte announced himself to English football with a remarkable debut season as Chelsea manager, guiding the club to the title and a then record 30 league wins. The Blues were seven points clear of second-placed Tottenham. AFP

15) FA Cup, May 2018: Two seasons, two trophies for Conte as Chelsea defeated Manchester United 1-0 in the FA Cup final, Eden Hazard scoring the only goal of the game from the penalty spot. It proved Conte's last game in charge. AFP

16) Uefa Europa League, 2018/19: Maurizio Sarri's brief time in charge is not remembered all that fondly but the Italian did deliver silverware with an emphatic 4-1 win over rivals Arsenal in the final after goals from Olivier Giroud, Pedro and a Hazard double. Alex Iwobi grabbed a consolation for Arsenal. AFP

17) Uefa Champions League, May 2021: Thomas Tuchel wrote his name into Chelsea folklore by guiding the club to the Champions League title just five months after taking charge. Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the game against a much-favoured Manchester City side. AFP

18) Fifa Club World Cup, February 2022: As part of the privilege of being European champions, Chelsea competed in the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi last month. The Blues lived up to their billing, defeating Palmeiras 2-1 after extra time in the final. Romelu Lukaku put Chelsea ahead only for Raphael Veiga to level from the spot. Havertz then converted a penalty deep in extra time to clinch it. If being crowned world champions proves to be the final achievement of Abramovich's era, it is a fitting tribute. AFP

Abramovich had pledged to write off the club’s £1.5 billion debt and plough all sale proceeds into a charitable foundation to help victims of the war in Ukraine.

Chelsea’s current licence terms have paused the club’s sale, but the government is understood to be ready to take control of the process, or supervise a transfer of ownership by Abramovich.

The government’s sanctions will continue to demand that Abramovich does not profit at all from Chelsea, but the hiatus has not deterred the throng of prospective new owners.

British property tycoon Nick Candy is interested in bidding for the Champions League holders.

A representative for Candy on Friday confirmed the 49-year-old’s interest in Chelsea.

“We are examining the details of yesterday’s announcement and we are still interested in making a bid,” the representative said

“Clearly this is a time of great uncertainty for all Chelsea fans.

“In our view, no one is the owner of a football club – you are the custodian of it for the fans and the community.”

A host of US investors still harbour interest in Chelsea, with Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly part of one consortium, and Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts another with a strongly-rumoured interest.

Shirt sponsor Three said on Thursday that it was suspending its partnership with Chelsea, but travel company Trivago was pledging to continue to support the club in the “transition to new ownership”.

Despite turmoil off the pitch, Chelsea continue to flourish on it. Thursday's 3-1 win over bottom-club Norwich City was a fourth successive win in the Premier League to keep them third in the table.

The Blues take on an in-form Newcastle at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah celebrates after scoring their first goal at Norwich City. Getty

Trevoh Chalobah celebrates his goal. Reuters

Mason Mount scores Chelsea's second goal. PA

Mason Mount enjoys the second goal. PA

Teemu Pukki (right) celebrates scoring Norwich's goal from the penalty spot. PA

Kai Havertz added Chelsea's third late on. PA