UK Govt Sanctions Roman Abramovich, Stops Chelsea Sale

The UK Government has sanctioned Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich in the latest crackdown on Russian assets in the country.

Naija News reports that the billionaire is one of seven wealthy Russian individuals who had sanctions placed on them by the government on Thursday.

Also affected by the sanctions are billionaires and allies of President Vladimir Putin of Russia, Igor Sechin and Oleg Deripaska, Andrey Kostin and Alexei Miller.

Others affected by the sanctions are Nikolai Tokarev and Dmitri Lebedev, whose business empires, wealth and connections are closely associated with the Russian president.

Following the sanctions, Abramovich will have his assets frozen and will be prohibited from carrying out any transactions with UK individuals and businesses.

The Chelsea owner will also face a travel ban and further transport sanctions.

Also, Chelsea will operate as a club with a special charity license and the proposed sale of the club by Abramovich has also been stopped.

The club won’t be able to sell new tickets for games or sign new players but will be able to carry out their daily activities.

Speaking on the sanctions, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “There can be no safe havens” for those who have supported the invasion.

“Today’s sanctions are the latest step in the UK’s unwavering support for the Ukrainian people.

“We will be ruthless in pursuing those who enable the killing of civilians, destruction of hospitals and illegal occupation of sovereign allies.”

A government statement said: “Given the significant impact that today’s sanctions would have on Chelsea football club and the potential knock-on effects of this, the Government has this morning published a licence which authorises a number of football-related activities to continue at Chelsea.

“This includes permissions for the club to continue playing matches and other football-related activity which will in turn protect the Premier League, the wider football pyramid, loyal fans and other clubs.

“This licence will only allow certain explicitly named actions to ensure the designated individual is not able to circumvent UK sanctions. The licence will be kept under constant review and we will work closely with the football authorities.”

This article was originally published on Nigeria News