The UK government has imposed sanctions on Roman Abramovich, meaning he is unable to sell the club.
He has had his assets frozen, a prohibition on transactions with UK individuals and businesses, and a travel ban imposed on him. Due to the restrictions he is under, there is doubt as to whether he will be able to sell the club.
The government has granted a special license to allow for the payment of staff, the attendance of existing ticket holders and the fulfillment of fixture.
The government statement said that the sanctions would have a significant impact on the club and that a licence was published this morning to allow a number of football related activities to continue.
Permissions for the club to continue playing matches and other football related activity will in turn protect the Premier League, the wider football pyramid, loyal fans and other clubs. The designated individual will not be able to circumvent UK sanctions if they have this licence. We will work closely with the football authorities and keep the licence under constant review.
Sky Sports News understands that government officials will meet with Chelsea on Thursday.
Six of Russia's wealthiest and most influential oligarchs, whose business empires, wealth and connections are closely associated with Vladimir Putin's regime, have been blacklisted. They have a net worth of 15 billion.
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Those are not free.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that there can be no safe havens for those who supported Putin.
The UK is steadfast in its support for the Ukrainian people. We will be ruthless in pursuing those who allow the killing of civilians, destruction of hospitals and illegal occupation of allies.
The sanctions show once again that kleptocrats have no place in our economy or society. They are involved in Putin's aggression because of their close ties to him.
The Ukrainian people have blood on their hands. They should be shamed.
Our support for Ukraine will not change. We will not stop in our efforts to put more pressure on the Putin regime.
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The sanctions are the latest step in the UK's response to Putin's invasion of Ukraine, designed to cripple Russia's economy so that he doesn't succeed.
The UK has been at the forefront of shutting out large parts of the Russian economy, such as its defence industry, financial institutions and transport sector.
More than 200 of Russia's most significant and high-value individuals, entities and subsidiaries have been sanctioned by the UK since the invasion, with over 500 of them now covered by the UK's sanctions list.
The Economic Crime Bill coming into force next week will simplify the process of imposing sanctions, allow the UK to more easily sanction individuals, and allow the UK to mirror allies.
The UK will continue to punish the Putin regime for their callous war.
The UK will continue to lead global efforts to provide Ukraine with economic, diplomatic, humanitarian and defensive support.
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Massive news: Roman Abramovich sanctioned. All UK assets frozen. Chelsea can still operate under a special licence but sale now on hold. Club will not be allowed to sell any more tickets - only season ticket holders can go to games for the foreseeable future.
— Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler) March 10, 2022
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