Patrick Vieira and Pep Guardiola have been left surprised after Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government, with the latter of the pair feeling sorry for managerial counterpart Thomas Tuchel due to the 'uncomfortable' situation.
Abramovich was placed on the sanctions list alongside Everton's Alisher Usmanov on Thursday morning. Chelsea will be allowed to continue functioning with restrictions under a special sporting licence that expires at the end of May, but its sale has been placed into doubt and the owner will no longer be permitted to invest.
The club released a statement in the afternoon which read: "Chelsea Football Club has been advised that its owner Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned by the UK Government.
