European Parliament president Roberta Metsola has increased the pressure on Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich by insisting that any wealthy Russians with ties to Vladimir Putin should not be allowed to control sports clubs.
Abramovich - who denies links with Putin - released a rare statement on Saturday when he declared that he would be handing over "stewardship and care" of Chelsea to the club's charitable foundation amid ongoing calls for sanctions to be placed on wealthy Russians with ties to the president.
Speaking at a meeting of the European Parliament on Tuesday, Metsola said: "Putin's oligarchs and those who bankroll him should no longer be able to use their purchasing power to hide behind a veneer of respectability in our cities, in our communities, or in our sports clubs."
