The Premier League has declared that Roman Abramovich has been disqualified as director of Chelsea FC.
In the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UK government imposed sanctions on the owner on Thursday, citing his claimed ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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“Following the imposition of sanctions by the UK government, the Premier League Board has disqualified Roman Abramovich as a director of Chelsea Football Club,” the league said in a statement on Saturday.
“The board’s decision does not impact on the club’s ability to train and play its fixtures, as set out under the terms of a licence issued by the government which expires on 31 May 2022.”
The move won’t impact the sale of the club which is expected to progress with government oversight as bidders have been told to press on with submissions.
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Chelsea was offered a new license to continue “football-related operations” despite Abramovich’s assets being frozen, and they are in talks with the government to change some aspects of it.
The Raine Group, a New York merchant, has now examined the conditions of the license and reached an agreement with the government on how to proceed with the sale.
On March 2, Abramovich placed Chelsea up for sale, promising to write off the club’s £1.5 billion debt and donate the proceeds to a new foundation that will help victims of Ukraine’s war.
