Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is one of seven oligarchs to have their assets frozen by the UK government.
Abramovich, who has close ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin, is also banned from travelling to the UK, and no UK citizen or company may do business with him.
It's said that the sanctions "are the latest step in the UK’s response to Putin’s illegal and unprovoked invasion, designed to ensure he fails in Ukraine by crippling Russia’s economy supporting his war machine".
It's added that, "Roman Abramovich has stakes in steel giant Evraz, Norilsk Nickel and owns Chelsea FC. He sold a 73% stake in Russian oil firm Sibneft to state-owned gas titan Gazprom for £9.87 billion in 2005. His net worth is an estimated £9.4 billion. He is one of the few oligarchs from the 1990s to maintain prominence under Putin. None of our allies have yet sanctioned Abramovich."
The sanctions have also halted Abramovich's attempts to sell Chelsea, and mean that the club cannot sell match tickets or merchandise. Chelsea will not be allowed to buy or sell players, or offer new contracts to those currently at the club. It is intended that the sanctions will ensure that Abramovich does not benefit from his ownership of Chelsea.
The UK government issued a special licence on Thursday which allows games involving Chelsea to still be played, and be televised, but only those holding tickets, like season ticket holders, can attend matches.
On Thursday afternoon, Chelsea released a statement saying: "We will fulfil our men’s and women’s team fixtures today against Norwich and West Ham, respectively, and intend to engage in discussions with the UK Government regarding the scope of the licence. This will include seeking permission for the licence to be amended in order to allow the Club to operate as normal as possible. We will also be seeking guidance from the UK Government on the impact of these measures on the Chelsea Foundation and its important work in our communities."
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