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Football London
Football London
Sport
Kadeem Simmonds

How much Chelsea could stand to lose each matchday after sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich

Chelsea are set to lose a minimum of £600,000 per home matchday after Russian owner Roman Abramovich had his assets frozen by the UK Government, according to OLBG.

The sanctions imposed on the Blues owner have greatly affected the club but Chelsea have been allowed to continue operating under a special "Russia Regulations" license, meaning they can continue playing games this season.

However, one of the sanctions placed on the club will prevent away fans from attending games at Stamford Bridge and only season ticket holders will be allowed to attend - unless individual matchday tickets were purchased prior to Thursday's ruling.

Stamford Bridge holds 40,834 fans and with there being approximately 28,000 season ticket holders, that leaves just under 13,000 unsold tickets per game.

Chelsea's lowest ticket price currently stands at £47, meaning they could potentially face losing £603,198 per game.

The Blues are set to welcome Brentford, West Ham, Wolves and Watford in the Premier League and could host home ties in the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League - that's at least £2.4million.

Their next home game is against Newcastle on Sunday but that match was already sold out before Thursday's sanctions were announced.

An OLBG study found that Chelsea’s previous average lost match day revenue from unsold tickets was approximately £154,254.

OLBG football expert Richard Moffat said: "This news has been a total shock to the football community today and the unprecedented effects of this will be felt for a long time.

"Whilst Chelsea season ticket holders will still be able to support their team, many will feel sympathy for the fans who won't.

"It seems unfair that away fans won't be able to support their teams on match days at Stamford Bridge, as this will potentially give the home team an advantage.

"Hopefully the government can work with representatives of Chelsea Football Club and football authorities to address these issues in the coming days. Whilst it's understandable that the club doesn't make a profit from ticket sales, perhaps there is an opportunity here to raise money for the victims of the horrific events taking place in Ukraine."

Other sanctions imposed on Chelsea include not being able to directly sell merchandise, not being able to renew contracts of existing players or buy new players.

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