Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich is the latest Russian oligarch to be added to the UK sanctions list.
It means he's being hit with an asset freeze and a travel ban.
The Premier League club is getting a special licence to continue operating, but the sale of the Stamford Bridge side is now on hold.
They can still play their fixtures and staff can be paid - but only season ticket holders can go to games and no merchandise sales will be allowed.
The British government will enable Chelsea to continue playing matches, but the sanctions will halt Mr Abramovich's plan to sell the European champions.
Nadine Dorries, Britain's Minister for Sport, has spoken on the matter.
1/ 4?Putin’s attack on Ukraine continues & we are witnessing new levels of evil by the hour. Today the Government has announced further sanctions against individuals linked to the Russian Government. This list includes Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea Football Club.
— Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) March 10, 2022
"Putin’s attack on Ukraine continues & we are witnessing new levels of evil by the hour. Today the Government has announced further sanctions against individuals linked to the Russian Government. This list includes Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea Football Club. Our priority is to hold those who have enabled the Putin regime to account. Today’s sanctions obviously have a direct impact on Chlesea & its fans. We have been working hard to ensure the club & the national game are not unnecessarily harmed by these important sanctions. To ensure the club can continue to compete and operate we are issuing a special licence that will allow fixtures to be fulfilled, staff to be paid and existing ticket holders to attend matches while, crucially, depriving Abramovich of benefiting from his ownership of the club. I know this brings some uncertainty, but the Government will work with the league & clubs to keep football being played while ensuring sanctions hit those intended. Football clubs are cultural assets and the bedrock of our communities. We're committed to protecting them."
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