When all goes well on the sporting level, the serenity of a club is not necessarily guaranteed, even in the short term. On a very favorable ballot after their 2-0 first leg victory, Chelsea travel to Lille in the knockout stages of the Champions League, Wednesday March 16, in a critical context. The London club is under the threat of bankruptcy because of its owner, Roman Abramovich.
Pinned down for his relations with the Kremlin, the Russian oligarch has been targeted by heavy sanctions, at a time when international bodies are trying to isolate as much as possible Vladimir Putin’s regime which sparked an armed conflict by invading Ukraine on February 24. At first, thehe British government froze all of Abramovich’s assets on March 10, also banning him from entering the territory. The billionaire (whose fortune is estimated at over $12 billion) was stripped of his status as manager of Chelsea by the Premier League two days later.
But the Blues have been living since 2003 thanks to Abramovich’s money. The latter allowed them to change dimension on the national and continental scenes. Since the arrival of the Russian, the club at won two Champions Leagues (2012, 2021) and five English league titles (2005, 2006, 2010, 2015, 2017), although he was not part of the cream of London football until then.
Sanctions affecting Roman Abramovich have had a heavy impact on Chelsea. The ticket office has been closed, making the only subscribers allowed to travel to Stamford Bridge, but this only applies to matches on the national stage. The sale of products with the effigy of the club has been suspended, as stated by the club on its website (content in English). Moreover, according to the journalist of the TimesMartyn Ziegler (content in English)Chelsea no longer has the right to touch its workforce by having players sign new contracts, even those whose lease expires at the end of the season.
Players and staff are still paid, but all matchday expenses are also strictly regulated, up to a million euros for home games and only 23,000 euros for travel, as in Lille on Wednesday . The situation inspired a touch of humor in the coach of the Blues, Thomas Tuchel, at a press conference on Monday, about the trip to Lille: “We have a plane. We can go back and forth, but if we can’t we’ll take the bus. I’m also ready to drive a seven-seater if necessary.“.
“We can go by plane. If not, we go by train. If not, we go by bus. If not, I drive a seven-seater!”
Thomas Tuchel is letting nothing stop him from getting to Lille for Chelsea’s midweek Champions League fixture… pic.twitter.com/IetZn2GRNT
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 13, 2022
The German technician can still afford it insofar as his team has not yet suffered any backlash on the sporting level. The Blues even remain on four wins in a row, in Luton (3-2), Burnley (4-0), Norwich (3-1), then at home against Newcastle (1-0) on Sunday. But the players themselves know that the main thing is no longer on the field. “I hope we were able to put some smiles on fans’ faces today.”wrote on Twitter Kai Havertz, the only scorer at the very end of the match against the Magpies.
Hope we put a few smiles on the fans faces today! #COYB pic.twitter.com/al97ntKiYW
— Kai Havertz (@kaihavertz29) March 13, 2022
Chelsea can still play their matches until the end of the season thanks to a special license granted by the British government, which will expire on May 30. However, the winner of the last Champions League, crowned club world champion in January, may not hold out until that date. The Times explained on Friday that Chelsea were in the grip of financial paralysis, while the club’s credit cards were frozen.
“You have to admit that we are moving forward day by day because all of this is not in our hands”Chelsea technical and performance director Petr Cech confirmed to Sky Sports on Saturday, quoted by AFP.
Also dropped by two of its main sponsors, Three and Hyundai, which appear on its shirt, the London club seems confused. He has requested that his Cup match at Middlesbrough on Saturday be played behind closed doors for “preserve sporting fairness“because he no longer has the right to sell his 4,500 tickets outside. The Blues did not get what he demanded, they announced on their website (content in English)Tuesday.
Chelsea’s salvation will only come through a buyout. Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale on March 2 at a price of 3.6 billion euros, according to AFP, he who had bought it for 170 million. However, the sanctions fell on the Russian businessman, and the sale was suspended by the British government, which now has the right to scrutinize the offers of potential buyers.
In the meantime, the noose is tightening around Abramovich, still technically the owner of the club. IEuropean Union has the businessman in its sights. His name appears in a blacklist published on Tuesday in the Official Journal of the Council of the EU, which estimates that his “connection with the Russian leader [Vladimir Poutine] enabled him to maintain his considerable fortune“, even if the person concerned has always denied being close to the master of the Kremlin.
In addition, the BBC claimed on Tuesday that it had seen a five-page document, extract from the archives of the Russian police, which highlights the important role of the Russian in several cases of corruption. The latter would have become a billionaire thanks to the rigged purchase of the oil company Sibneft, which he would have bought in 1995 for 250 million dollars, before reselling it for 13 billion dollars to the Russian government.