Abramovich announced this month that he plans to sell Chelsea, as it is “in the interest of the club, the fans and staff as well as the club’s sponsors and partners”. This came after he announced that he had given “oversight” of the club to the trustees of the club’s charitable foundation.
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth Office and Development Office said in a statement on Thursday that the new sanctions would lead to a freeze on his assets and would ban “transactions with UK individuals and businesses”. The billionaire will also face a travel ban preventing him from entering the UK.
Fans can buy food and drink in these matches, according to the statement, and under the sanctions, third-party retailers who have purchased or produced club merchandise before Thursday will be allowed to sell their existing stock as long as no money is given to Chelsea.
British MP Chris Bryant had previously called for Abramovich to lose ownership of Chelsea after seeing a leaked 2019 British government document that said Abramovich was a subject of interest due to his “connections to the Russian state and his general association with corrupt activism and practices”. The deputy said in a tweet on Twitter.
Abramovich is valued at 9.4 billion pounds ($12.36 billion), according to the UK government.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said this month that the UK was “absolutely intent” on punishing Russian oligarchs, adding that the UK was working through “another list” of oligarchs to punish them.
“There is nowhere for any of Putin’s friends to hide,” Truss said.
More to track…
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