Here are the latest Premier League headlines for Wednesday, March 30.
Chelsea 'business as usual'?
Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston maintains sanctions on Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich must mean that it cannot be "business as usual" at Stamford Bridge. The club was put up for sale by billionaire Abramovich at the start of March in the wake of Russia's invasion of the Ukraine.
However, Abramovich was subsequently sanctioned by the Government over his ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin, with his assets frozen. Chelsea have been able to continue to operate, but under strict conditions, one of which means the club are not permitted to sell any new tickets to supporters for home Premier League matches.
While amendments have been made for away fans, cup ties and women's fixtures - provided Chelsea do not receive any revenue - the block on any more tickets sold for home league games remains in place. On Tuesday evening, the Chelsea Supporters' Trust (CST) called for the Government to make further changes so as not to continue to "punish" fans. Huddleston, though, insists there has to be ramifications for the sanctions to be meaningful.
READ MORE: Leeds United's £17m Raphinha decision always banked on Barcelona transfer saga
"We have had constant dialogue with Chelsea fans because the whole strategy throughout is to be very, very clear that Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned and that has clearly had implications," Huddleston said. "I was very honest and open with the Chelsea fans saying 'this will have an impact because he has been sanctioned and he is the owner of the club'.
"We have tried to make reasonable modifications to the licence to enable fans to engage with the club and continue as much as reasonably possible. But the sanctions do mean we've got to be really careful of making sure there isn't any incremental new revenue generation that was part of the sanctions.
"We have moderated it where we can, but as it relates to home (Premier League) of course, that's difficult. I think there's only about 4,000 tickets out of 40,000 home fans, so we're not talking about huge volumes here. I continue to work with the fans, but I was very clear from day one and it's still the case - this is not business as usual. This is a different world because the club's owner has been sanctioned."
Keane blasts Southgate
Roy Keane has criticised Gareth Southgate for his post-match defence of under-fire defender Harry Maguire. Sections of England fans decided to boo the Man Utd captain before kick-off, causing the Three Lions boss to fire back at the critics.
Former Red Devils skipper Keane - who has often criticised Maguire throughout the season - believes Southgate’s words were hypocritical due to a previous bust-up between Raheem Sterling and Joe Gomez. He told ITV: "I think Gareth has made it a bigger story than what it is. There are going to be idiots at football matches. England fans have got a lot of idiots and, if they’re going to boo Harry Maguire, I think Gareth could have easily said that it’s no big deal. He actually played well, just focus on that.
“Gareth is almost picking and choosing when to support his players. Raheem Sterling had a bust-up two or three years ago, he was bombed out of the squad. He’s left other players out.”
Rashford abuser jailed
A man who racially abused Marcus Rashford following the Euro 2020 final has been jailed for six weeks. The England forward - alongside Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho - missed crucial penalties in the Three Lions’ shoot-out defeat to Italy last July and all three endured horrific abuse post-match.
Justin Lee Price, 19, from Worcester, was sentenced to six weeks at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court after admitting one count of sending a grossly offensive message. Senior crown prosecutor Mark Johnson said Price targeted Rashford "based on the colour of his skin and his action was clearly racist and a hate crime".
For the latest Leeds United news direct to your inbox, go here to sign up to our free newsletter
