March 11, 2022
2 mins read

Chelsea frozen, Roman Abramovich sanctioned  

Roman Abramovich’s hopes of selling European champions Chelsea were put on hold after the government hit the Russian billionaire with an assets freeze, reports Asian Lite News

Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich was on Thursday hit with an assets freeze and travel ban as part of new UK government sanctions targeting seven Russian oligarchs.

Among others sanctioned are leading industrialist Oleg Deripaska, Rosneft chief executive Igor Sechin and the head of Gazprom Alexei Miller, the government announced.

Speculation has swirled for weeks about whether Abramovich would be included on the targeted action against Russian billionaires perceived to be close to the Kremlin.

Abramovich announced last week that he was selling Chelsea, after buying the English Premier League side in 2003, and bankrolled its successes at domestic and European level.

The UK government estimated his net worth at $12.2 billion (£9.4 billion), but said it was mitigating the effect of the sanctions on Chelsea by allowing the club to continue to operate.

A special license “authorizes a number of football-related activities,” the government said in a statement.

“This includes permissions for the club to continue playing matches and other football-related activity which will in turn protect the Premier League, the wider football pyramid, loyal fans and other clubs,” it added.

Deripaska is Abramovich’s one-time business partner, while officials described Sechin as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “right-hand man.”

The four others — Miller, VTB bank chairman Andrey Kostin, Transneft president Nikolai Tokarev and Bank Rossiya chairman Dmitri Lebedev — are part of his inner circle,

Collectively, the seven have a net worth of about £15 billion, the statement read.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the sanctions “the latest step in the UK’s unwavering support for the Ukrainian people.”

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss added: “Today’s sanctions show once again that oligarchs and kleptocrats have no place in our economy or society.

“With their close links to Putin they are complicit in his aggression. The blood of the Ukrainian people is on their hands. They should hang their heads in shame.”

Protecting Chelsea

The government estimated his net worth at £9.4 billion ($12.3bn), but said it was mitigating the effect of the sanctions on Chelsea by allowing the club to continue to operate.

A special licence “authorises a number of football-related activities”, the government said in a statement.

“This includes permissions for the club to continue playing matches and other football-related activity which will in turn protect the Premier League, the wider football pyramid, loyal fans and other clubs,” it added.

Deripaska, who has stakes in En+ Group, an Anglo-Russian green energy and metals company, is Abramovich’s one-time business partner, while officials described Sechin as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “right-hand man”.

The four others – Miller, VTB bank chairman Andrey Kostin, Transneft chief Nikolai Tokarev and Bank Rossiya chairman Dmitri Lebedev – are part of his inner circle, according to the UK government.

Collectively, the seven have a net worth of about £15 billion ($19.2bn), the statement read.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the sanctions “the latest step in the UK’s unwavering support for the Ukrainian people”.

ALSO READ-UK sanctions Chelsea owner

Previous Story

Russia-Ukraine crisis to take hit on India’s manufacturing sector

Next Story

US lawmakers table bill seeking sanctions on Pakistan

Latest from -Top News

UK Warns China Over Taiwan Moves

Healey’s comments come amid rising global concerns over Chinese military activity around Taiwan and the growing Western focus on the Indo-Pacific region. British Defence Secretary John Healey has said the UK is

US Sticks to August 1 Tariff Deadline

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick ruled out any possibility of an extension…reports Asian Lite News The US administration on Sunday said the August 1 deadline for imposing reciprocal tariffs remains unchanged and

EU Lawmaker Slams US Trade Deal

US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced earlier in the day that they had reached a trade agreement…reports Asian Lite News A top EU lawmaker has

Killing Fields of Gaza

While Israeli airstrikes on Gaza continue to dominate global headlines after hundreds of days of conflict, a parallel and equally devastating crisis is unfolding — one that receives far less attention: deepening

EU, China United on Climate, Split on Rest

Climate pact offers rare unity as trade rifts, Ukraine war, and economic tensions dominate EU-China summitChina and the European Union struck a rare note of unity on climate change Thursday, issuing a
Go toTop

Don't Miss

UK sanctions Chelsea owner

As part of the UK’s leading efforts to isolate Putin

Chelsea owner trying to broker end to war in Ukraine

Abramovich’s involvement followed a request from Ukrainian film producer Alexander