The billionaire owner of the English Premier League side was
one of seven oligarchs slapped with restrictions over Russia’s Ukraine
invasion, including his former business partner Oleg Deripaska.
Others sanctioned were Rosneft chief executive Igor Sechin,
whom the British government described as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s
“right-hand man”, and the head of Gazprom Alexei Miller.
Also on the list were VTB bank chairman Andrey Kostin,
Transneft president Nikolai Tokarev and Bank Rossiya chairman Dmitri Lebedev.
London said the seven have a collective net worth of about
£15 billion ($19.7 billion, 17.8 billion euros) and described them all as part
of Putin’s inner circle.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been accused of delaying
action against wealthy Russians, and turning a blind eye to Russian money that
has coursed through London since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
He called the sanctions “the latest step in the UK’s
unwavering support for the Ukrainian people” while Foreign Secretary Liz Truss
said they showed that “oligarchs and kleptocrats have no place in our economy
and society”.
“With their close links to Putin they are complicit in his
aggression. The blood of the Ukrainian people is on their hands. They should
hang their heads in shame,” she added.
Chelsea, which can still operate under a special licence,
indicated the restrictions on the club were too harsh and said it wanted talks
with the government “for the licence to be amended”.
The Premier League said it would “work with the club and the
government to ensure the season will proceed as planned and in line with the
government’s intention”.
Special licence
Speculation has swirled since Russia’s invasion about
whether Abramovich would be included in any UK sanctions.
He announced last week he was selling Chelsea, which he
bought in 2003 and bankrolled its successes at domestic and European level.
The British government estimated his net worth at £9.4
billion but said it was mitigating the effect of the sanctions on Chelsea by
allowing the club to continue to operate.
A special licence “authorises a number of football-related
activities”, the government said in a statement.
“This includes permissions for the club to continue playing
matches and other football-related activity which will in turn protect the
Premier League, the wider football pyramid, loyal fans and other clubs,” it
added.
Selling the club or transferring players were not included
on the list of permitted activities, scuppering Abramovich’s plans to offload
the club.
A UK sanctions official told reporters: “The licence that’s
been issued right now does not allow for the sale of the club.
“It will be for the Treasury to consider the further
application for a licence to sell the club,” he added, but said no request for
that had yet been made.
Johnson’s spokesman said the government was “open” to a
sale, subject to a new licence being approved but said “under no circumstance”
should Abramovich profit from it.
Shares in Russian steel giant Evraz, of which Abramovich is
the major shareholder, plunged almost 12 percent on the London Stock Exchange
Thursday morning until trading in the company was suspended.
Yachts and planes
Abramovich announced last week he had made the “incredibly
difficult” decision to sell Chelsea and pledged that proceeds would go to
victims of the Ukraine war.
According to reports, Abramovich was still holding out for a
bid in the region of £3 billion for the club he bought for £140 million.
Abramovich, 55, was one of the businessmen working in the
shadows following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, seizing
control of lucrative assets once held by the Soviet state, at bargain prices.
His property holdings include a 15-bedroom mansion in
London’s exclusive Kensington area. He also owns one of the world’s largest
yachts, the 533-foot (162-metre) Eclipse.
Abramovich is also subject to transport sanctions, which
have banned Russian aircraft from flying or landing in the UK and give the
government powers to remove planes belonging to designated Russian individuals
and entities.
Russian ships have been banned from UK ports.
Abramovich changed the face and profile of English football
when he took over Chelsea, turning the perennial also-rans into a European
powerhouse and ushering in the era of mass money in the domestic game.
Chelsea have won 19 major trophies in the Abramovich era,
including their first two Champions League crowns and five Premier League
titles.
AFP
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