A club in frozen condition. Chelsea trembles as the British government has imposed sweeping sanctions against Roman Abramovich. What is the impact on sales and sporting events? And will we soon see Romelu Lukaku leave for an away match on a scheduled flight? The answer to three key questions.
What is the impact on Chelsea sales?
The “For Sale” sign has only been on Stamford Bridge for a week, but the first problems are already there.
Due to the sanctions, Roman Abramovich seems unable to sell Chelsea at the moment, but that is still an option. However, Abramovich must then hand over the sale to the British government. He wants the absolute guarantee that none of the proceeds will go to Abramovich or Russia.
Further talks will take place between the club and local authorities over the sale of Chelsea in the coming days.
Mprevious sides still have a strong interest in taking over the youngest Champions League winner. Due to the sanctions, this may even be possible at a lower price.
What are the possible sporting consequences?
Don’t expect any monster transfers from Chelsea in the near future.
Due to the blocked funds, Chelsea cannot make new commitments for the time being. This includes the renewal of contracts.
Several (key) players with expiring agreements are therefore one step closer to the exit. Just think of Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen.
Furthermore, inbound and outbound transfers are not possible either. Only deals that were concluded before the sanctions came into effect can still be fulfilled. Chelsea can therefore, for example, still pay the remaining debt for the transfer of Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan.
Of course there must be enough money available. If the current situation were to drag on for a long time, it is not inconceivable that Chelsea will soon run out of cash to pay wages and outstanding transfer funds.
One exception is that Chelsea will still receive outstanding television monies. These must be used for essential expenditure such as the salaries of staff.
What effects does this entail?
Lots of laughter on social media. Some special provisions in the sanctions ensure that Chelsea’s operation will change radically.
For example, it has been determined that the club may not spend more than 20,000 pounds (about 24,000 euros) on travel costs for away games.
Normally, like other top European clubs, Chelsea travels to distant matches with a private jet. But that costs about double the imposed limit. And there must also be added hotel costs. With a staff of about 50 people, that adds up to a considerable sum.
For competitions in our own country, costs are still relatively easy to reduce. Only Chelsea is still in the Champions League. Soon it will move to Lille – a short trip – but what if it meets Real Madrid in the quarterfinals?
Then Chelsea may have to cut costs drastically. By taking fewer people to Spain? Or opt for a scheduled flight and cheap hotel? We don’t see Romelu Lukaku boarding a Ryanair flight right away, but it won’t be as usual anyway.
The sanctions also affect the supporters. For example, there are no more day tickets for sale for Chelsea home games. The sale of merchandising is also completely restricted.
The current stock of items could still be sold, but no longer replenished. During the day, Chelsea already decided to close its fan shops.
Bad luck for those who wanted to bring a scarf from their favorite club during a city trip in London.
