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Chelsea have been thrown into chaos after owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the U.K. government for his ties with Russia President Vladimir Putin.
The world and European champions have been frozen as an asset of Abramovich, who is one of seven Russian oligarchs to be targeted along with Igor Sechin, Oleg Deripaska, Dmitri Lebedev, Alexei Miller, Andrei Kostin and Nikolai Tokarev.
“There can be no safe havens for those who have supported Putin’s vicious assault on Ukraine,” U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
– Olley, Marcotti: What does Abramovich sale mean for Chelsea?
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The accompanying statement of reasons from the U.K government describes Abramovich, 55, as a “prominent Russian businessman and pro-Kremlin oligarch” before outlining something Abramovich has always denied: involvement with the Putin regime.
“Abramovich is associated with a person who is or has been involved in destabilising Ukraine and undermining and threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, namely Vladimir Putin, with whom Abramovich has had a close relationship for decades,” it read.
“This association has included obtaining a financial benefit or other material benefit from Putin and the Government of Russia.”
The shock announcement on Thursday morning means Abramovich’s attempts to sell the club are on hold for the time being. Sources told ESPN on Wednesday that Abramovich had received multiple bids for the club — including one consortium led by Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss — but none were close to matching his £3 billion valuation.
Sources have told ESPN that while a sale cannot go ahead as things stand, the U.K. government would consider an application for a licence to allow a sale. Any such licence would not allow Abramovich to benefit from the sale of the club while he remains subject to sanctions.
Where the proceeds of any sale would go is something that…
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Source : espn
