Roman Abramovich was the owner of Chelsea for a long time. (Copyright: Adam Davy)
According to the Sun, Russian businessman Roman Abramovich has an 81-day deadline to sell Chelsea before the license expires or risk the club folding altogether.
News broke out last evening that the UK Government had frozen all the assets of Roman Abramovich after he was placed on the UK sanctions list. This effectively meant that the sale of Chelsea was suspended with the Blues being banned from renewing player contracts, making transfers and even selling tickets to matches at Stamford Bridge.
As a consequence of these sudden developments, shirt sponsors ‘Three’ suspended their £40m contract and there are claims that even the prize money from Premier League and UEFA competitions may be withheld.
The Sun claim that the ‘license’ that will allow the Blues to continue playing until the end of the season in all competitions will not be renewed if Abramovich does not sell the club for no profit by May 31. While the PM official spokesman clarified that a ‘license can be granted’ to make a sale, he stated that no profit from the ensuing sale can go to the Russian businessman.
With the existing license, the Blues will be allowed to continue paying wages to their staff but selling tickets has been banned. They have also seen their travel budget being restricted, although Chelsea have requested for the terms to be varied.
Although the broadcasting money they are due will be paid to the Blues, they are set to lose a significant chunk of prize money. There is also a fear that the London based club may lose nine points if they are forced into administration.
While there is no clarity on how the situation is going to develop, one thing that is very clear is that Chelsea are going through very uncertain times right now. With them not being allowed to renew contracts, the Blues risk losing key players- those on expiring contracts and those who would have wanted a raise to stay on.
There is a lot of noise surrounding the London based outfit which makes it extremely difficult for players to concentrate on the game. Tuchel and Chelsea know irrespective of what’s happening around them, they are still competing in three competitions and his players will have to focus on playing the game.
If Abramovich fails to sell Chelsea before the deadline, there are fears over the existence of Blues in the future. For a club that just won the ‘Club World Cup’ a couple of months ago and seemed to be on top of the world, they have come crashing down all of a sudden.
This saga is a very sad end to what has been one of the best reigns in English football that lasted 19 long years and although currently down in the dumps, Chelsea will be hoping the situation is resolved and they get back to summit as soon as possible.
Expecting the Russian businessman to sell one of his prized assets in Chelsea for 0 profit is certainly being a tad unrealistic. Hopefully, there is another alternative before this season concludes.
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