The British government prevents the Russian Abramovich from selling Chelsea FC and freezes his assets

The sale of English football club Chelsea has been suspended following the sanctions imposed by the British government today on its Russian owner Roman Abramovich and the freezing of his assets, against the background of his country's invasion of Ukraine.

The Treasury said the restrictions "apply to any entity owned or controlled by Roman Abramovich," adding, "This means that Chelsea Football Club is now also subject to an asset freeze under UK financial sanctions."

The billionaire was one of seven Russian oligarchs to have been sanctioned, including his former business partner Oleg Deripaska.

Speculation has been raised since the Russian invasion of Ukraine about whether Abramovich would be included in the list of Russia's rich people close to President Vladimir Putin who would be subject to sanctions.

He announced last week that he would sell the club he bought in 2003 and funded his successes at the local and European level.

The British government estimated his net worth at 9.4 billion pounds, but said it would mitigate the impact of sanctions on Chelsea by allowing the club to continue operating.

And it said in a statement that a special license "allows a number of football-related activities to be carried out," adding, "This includes permissions for the club to continue playing matches and other football-related activities which in turn will protect the Premier League, the wider football pyramid, loyal fans and other clubs."

Neither the sale of the club nor the transfer of players are included in the list of permitted activities, which hinders the Russian's desire to sell the London club.

Abramovich announced last week that he had made the "very difficult" decision to sell Chelsea, vowing that the proceeds would go to the victims of the war in Ukraine.

According to reports, Abramovich was still waiting for a bid of nearly three billion pounds to sell the current European champion he had bought for 140 million pounds.

Chelsea won 19 titles, including five in the Premier League and two in the Champions League.

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