After the British government imposed tough sanctions on the Russian owner of Chelsea FC for his close ties to Putin, Chelsea are only allowed to sell tickets to a limited extent. Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP/dpa. (Source: dpa)
London (AP) – Thanks to a changed license, Chelsea FC can again sell tickets, but still not for home games in the Premier League.
The British government relaxed the conditions imposed on the English football club because of sanctions against Russian owner Roman Abramovich on Wednesday evening. Chelsea have also been approved £30m to cover costs through their parent company Fordstam Limited.
This means that Blues fans can buy tickets for away games in the Premier League, the Champions League and the FA Cup. The Champions League winners meet Real Madrid in the quarter-final first leg at Stamford Bridge on April 6 and Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley on April 16. For home games in the league, only season ticket holders and away fans are allowed. In the women’s Super League, on the other hand, there are no longer any restrictions on sales.
Premier League: Proceeds will be donated
The Premier League said all proceeds from the sale of tickets will be “donated to charity in aid of the victims of the war in Ukraine,” in agreement with Chelsea. The proceeds from the other competitions do not go to coach Thomas Tuchel’s club either, but to the responsible organizations such as the European Football Union UEFA, the English FA association or the respective away team in the league.
However, Chelsea are still not allowed to transfer players and generally not earn any money. The British government had imposed the strict measures against owners Abramovich because of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and its alleged closeness to President Vladimir Putin.