Rio Ferdinand has admitted it is "confusing" by how much Chelsea as a football club are being impacted by Roman Abramovich being sanctioned by the UK government.
Last week, the Blues owner was added to the UK government's sanction list just days after he had put the club up for sale. This has had a huge impact on Chelsea as a club, with their spend on away travel being reduced, and the ability to sell tickets for matches.
The latest news, that broke earlier today (Wednesday), is that Chelsea will not be allowed to sell tickets to any UEFA Champions League matches that are played at Stamford Bridge. The Blues take on Lille in the second-leg of the Round of 16 this evening in France.
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Ferdinand, when speaking on BT Sport, has admitted he has been left confused by what has happened at the club over recent days. He said: "It's confusing for me. Yes, the government and EU want to put sanctions on Roman Abramovich.
"But, then for the whole club to suffer, all the people that work behind the scenes, a football club isn’t about one person. It’s about everyone who is a part of the machine that wants to move forward and everyone’s being punished now.
"There’s people with their livelihoods at stake now, they’re walking around the club not sure what’s going to happen now. What I don’t understand is, you’re bringing all these new rules and sanctions to the table, very quickly, whereas if you shift it the other way and say ‘carry on as normal’, ring fence the finances so they sit there, and then at a later date decide what to do with them.
"That way, people are still working and the club is still functioning, because at the end of the day, it’s just one person they’re looking to make these sanctions for, not the whole workforce."
