The 55-year-old, who has presided over a period of
unprecedented success in the west London club’s history since he assumed
control in 2003, saw his plan to complete a quickfire sale dashed on Thursday
following a dramatic announcement.
Following the sanctions, which arose as a consequence of
Abramovich’s ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin, Chelsea have been issued
with a ‘general licence’ which allows the club to operate under restrictions
which will have a huge impact on many connected with the club.
The likes of British property tycoon Nick Candy remain
interested in buying the Premier League giants, but Chelsea can now only be
sold on the condition that Abramovich agrees to walk away without receiving any
financial gain
Chelsea have been told that a deal must be agreed before the
licence runs out on May 31 to guarantee the survival of the club as a properly
functioning business.
The PM’s official spokesman explained: ‘A specific licence
can be granted to allow any sale to proceed.
‘But under no circumstance would any sale allow Roman
Abramovich to profit from that or take any money from that sale.’
Pressure to cede to the Government’s demands is increasing
by the hour with Chelsea’s kit supplier Nike now considering reneging on their
£900million deal.
Already, Chelsea’s main shirt sponsor, the
telecommunications giant Three, have suspended their £40m-a-year-deal, while
the Blues’ other main sources of financial revenue, such as ticket sales, have
been cut-off and spending capacity greatly restricted.
The club’s megastore and hotel were closed on Thursday,
while Chelsea are unable to negotiate new contracts with a clutch of first team
players whose contracts are due to expire at the end of the season.
Chelsea remain on course to qualify for the lucrative latter
stages of the Champions League but, according to The Sun, UEFA could withhold
any prize money they are due.
Despite the complexity of the situation off the field,
Chelsea’s players ignored any distractions and cantered to a 3-1 win over
Norwich City at Carrow Road last night, much to the relief of manager Thomas
Tuchel, whose own future is now the subject of intense speculation.
‘Maybe on a day like this you would talk about the Champions
League games last night but nobody talks about this,’ said Tuchel after the
game.
‘So it nice to enter a schedule before a match as it helps
to focus as we’re used to it. We cannot influence it so we allowed ourselves to
enjoy it.
‘We have the privilege to play and sometimes it’s good to
sweat it out. We tried to work hard to get the focus out.
‘I would love to talk about sport but of course I understand
you have a lot of questions. We are also an entertainment so that’s why it is
like this.’
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