Chelsea fans received an unwelcome present on the Premier English League team's 117th birthday Thursday: British government sanctions against Russian owner Roman Abramovich, which only served to exacerbate the team's growing pariah status in the soccer world.
The aluminum magnate is one of seven wealthy Russians whose assets were frozen by British sanctions on Thursday in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Under the unprecedented government action, Chelsea will play the rest of the season with a special "Russia Regulations" license that, among other things, prohibits the team from selling new tickets or merchandise or signing new players.
The club's future was already in doubt: Abramovich, whose $2 billion investment in Chelsea over 19 years transformed the team into a force in European football, had put the squad up for sale last week amid growing calls for sanctions to be imposed on a man the government has labeled a "pro-Kremlin oligarch" linked to "destabilizing... undermining and threatening" Ukraine.
The British government has also claimed that Abramovich received financial benefits from Putin's administration, including contracts in the run-up to Russia hosting the 2018 World Cup.
“We are now turning the screw on influential oligarchs enabling his regime,” Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said of Putin. “The important measures announced today will clearly have a direct impact on Chelsea FC and its fans but we are working hard to make sure the club and the national game are not unnecessarily harmed.”
Club sponsors are responding in their own way: The telecommunications firm Three announced Thursday that it would suspend its sponsorship of the team and remove its logo from Chelsea’s jersey
