Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been hit with an extra £5bn worth of sanctions after Jersey decided to freeze his assets. Jersey did not immediately follow suit when Abramovich's assets were frozen in the UK. The Channel Island remains a UK dependency but self-governing.
However, that has now changed, and it marks another significant blow to the Russian Oligarch. Abramovich had his assets frozen by the UK government for alleged long-standing links to Vladimir Putin, the president currently overseeing the invasion of Ukraine. As a result, the sanctions meant Chelsea could not operate as normal, although a special license has been granted to continue essential footballing activities.
However, contract and transfer negotiations remain off the table, and the sooner a takeover is completed, the better. Abramovich stands to gain no money from the eventual purchase, but the process remains lengthy. Four bidders made it past the first round, with Todd Boehly, Steve Pagliuca, the Ricketts family and Sir Martin Broughton battling it out.
