News broke on Thursday that Roman Abramovich was one of seven Russia oligarchs that had been sanctioned by the UK Government, and in doing so Chelsea have been left in financial turmoil.
Chelsea managed to ignore matters off the field and beat Norwich 3-1 away from home to wrap up a whirlwind 24 hours, by uncertainty over the club remains.
As part of the sanctions, Abramovich had his assets frozen, putting any sale of the club on hold unless he hands it over to the Government, and shirt sponsor Three have already suspended their involvement with Chelsea.
Nike could also follow suit, as income streams continue to diminish, but Chelsea have been granted a special licence in order to continue operating as a football club, although there are some major restrictions still in place.
Here Mirror Football keep it simple and detail what Chelsea can and can't do as part of the sanctions...
What Chelsea can continue to do...
Play all their matches, home and away
Thankfully for Chelsea, they'll still be able to complete their remaining fixtures, as believe it or not there was some uncertainty as to whether they would be pulled from finishing the season.
Chelsea were handed with a licence that means they can still run primarily as a football club, and this was one of the priorities when enforcing the sanction.
With Chelsea still in a healthy position in the Champions League and the FA Cup, they could still enjoy a winning season amidst the chaos.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “Vladimir Putin's attack on Ukraine continues and we are witnessing new levels of evil by the hour. We are now turning the screw on influential oligarchs enabling his regime.
“The important measures announced today will clearly have a direct impact on Chelsea FC and its fans but we are working hard to make sure the club and the national game are not unnecessarily harmed.
“We have granted the club a licence so it can fulfil its fixtures, pay its staff and existing ticket holders can attend matches. We know football clubs are cultural assets and we are committed to protecting them.”
Pay the salaries of players and staff
Chelsea will still be able to continue paying their players and staff, which would have led to an unbelievable collapse if this wasn't the case.
This isn't the fault of the players, who have come to Stamford Bridge to play exciting football and represent one of the biggest English clubs, and the staff's contracts will continue to be honoured too.
Chelsea are already in trouble as it is when it comes to holding on to players, but failure to pay them could have led to a mass revolt at Stamford Bridge.
Provide stewards, security and food and drink for fans, subject to a £500,000 spending cap
The saddest part of this all is how it affects the fans, but thankfully stewarding and refreshments at Stamford Bridge will continue to be provided, although they're subject to a £500,000 cap.
This may sound like a lot, but Premier League clubs spend millions per matchday, but fans must be safe in attendance, and it would be a humanitarian issue if refreshments could not be provided at a venue that supporters spend up to three hours at.
However, there are restrictions on who can attend.
Receive TV broadcasting revenues and prize money - although this will be frozen
Chelsea will continue to receive the TV broadcasting money and also any bonuses for their performances in all competitions this season, although it will be frozen immediately.
No broadcasting money would lead to a mess with the TV scheduling, and with restrictions on certain fans that can attend, it would be cruel to take them away from our screens too.
Club sale could potentially still go ahead, as long as Abramovich does not benefit financially
There is one way that Chelsea can still be sold, although it would come as a devastating loss to Abramovich.
Chelsea can request a special licence to allow the club to be sold, but for it to be considered the Government must see a change of ownership in the best interests of the club, and the sale cannot benefit Abramovich.
Abramovich would have to essentially hand the club over to the Government, and they would decide where all of the proceeds go, with the Russian not receiving a single penny despite listening to bids of £3billion earlier this week.
What Chelsea cannot continue to do...
Sell tickets to home or away fans - only existing ticket holders will be allowed to attend
As mentioned earlier, Chelsea will still continue to provide refreshments and security at Stamford Bridge for matchdays, but only season ticket holders will be able to attend.
Fans that paid for the season at the beginning of the year are covered, but supporters are now unable to purchase single tickets for the upcoming games, and with potential trips to Wembley should they stay in the FA Cup, they could be left with no fans.
It will also put a huge dent on away games, and Chelsea face playing away from home with no support.
Clubs were used to playing with no fans during lockdown, but now that capacity is full again, it will feel very lonely and very hostile with either just one set of fans, or very few of their own.
Agree any new transfers or contracts
Perhaps the biggest inclusion of the lot.
Chelsea are essentially under a transfer embargo, meaning that they can't sign or re-sign players under the current rules.
Regardless of who Chelsea may have been targeting in the summer, this means that the ongoing contract saga's for Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen could now be over as they don't even have the option to extend their stay.
Both players see their deals expire at the end of the season, alongside Cesar Azpilicueta.
They also can't replace them either, meaning that Chelsea must rely on youth once more, just as they did when Frank Lampard became manager back in 2019.
Sell merchandise at the stadium or online
Chelsea supporters are no longer able to purchase merchandise at either the club shop, or via their online store either.
In another attempt to cut off income supplies, merchandise sales have been banned meaning that from full kits to key-rings, fans will not be able to buy new versions from the club directly.
Spend more than £20,000 on away travel
Another troublesome issue for Chelsea is that they are only allowed to spend £20,000 on away travel, something that usually costs around £30,000 just for Premier League games, let alone Champions League.
There has already been speculation over whether the group will have to opt for public methods to make their games, or whether players will even dip into their own pockets to arrive in style.
With Chelsea's away trip to Lille next week, it won't be long until we find out.
Carry out any building work on Stamford Bridge
Chelsea can't make any changes or alterations to Stamford Bridge during this time, although thankfully for them they've just finished multiple refurbishments at the ground.
Safe standing areas have been added all around Stamford Bridge, and Three have recently altered the stadium to facilitate 5G mobile data for all fans to use.
However, Three have now pulled their sponsorship temporarily, so it will be interesting to see if that affects the services they offer at Stamford Bridge.
