Oviri Kelvin, Sports Editor, Abuja
Chelsea’s owner and Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich’s assets in the United Kingdom have been frozen by the UK government.
Earlier today, the UK government extended its sanction on Russia over its continued onslaught on Ukrainians by freezing the assets of Russian Oligarchs in the UK.
Roman Abramovich wanted to sell Chelsea after the UK parliament turned their attention towards him; this has been made impossible due to the recent government pronouncement.
The UK, angered by Putin’s ceaseless actions which have destroyed key infrastructures in Ukraine, froze the assets of seven Russian oligarchs.
Apart from Igor Sechin, Oleg Deripaska, Andrey Kostin, Alexei Miller, Nikolai Tokarev and Dmitri Lebedev, Roman Abramovich is considered the wealthiest and most influential among the victims of the UK’s latest sanction.
According to the Prime Minister of the UK, Boris Johnson, the UK will not condone anyone who is found to have supported Putin and his brutal actions against the Ukrainians.
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Boris stressed that the UK will ensure it makes the country unbearable for Putin sympathisers while reaffirming its solidarity with the people of Ukraine through its latest steps.
Following this development, the United Kingdom Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport, Nadine Dorries has assured Chelsea and its fans of the government’s readiness to provide the needed assistance to ensure the club continues to function and feature in matches accordingly.
Dorries said, “Our priority is to hold those who have enabled the Putin regime to account. Today’s sanctions obviously have a direct impact on Chelsea and its fans. We have been working hard to ensure the club and the national game are not unnecessarily harmed by these important sanctions.
“To ensure the club can continue to compete and operate we are issuing a special licence that will allow fixtures to be fulfilled, staff to be paid, and existing ticket holders to attend matches while, crucially, depriving Abramovich of benefiting from his ownership of the club.
“I know this brings some uncertainty, but the Government will work with the league & clubs to keep football being played while ensuring sanctions hit those intended. Football clubs are cultural assets and the bedrock of our communities. We’re committed to protecting them,” she added.
