After Chelsea’s owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned because of his proximity to the Kremlin, the top club is now losing the next financial cushion: the shirt sponsor is ending the lucrative cooperation.
British mobile phone company Three has suspended its partnership with reigning Champions League winners Chelsea. A Three spokesman confirmed this to the online portal “The Athletic”. The decision was based on the connection between Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and Russian ruler Vladimir Putin. Abramovich is on a British sanctions list for oligarchs close to Putin (read more here).
“In light of the sanctions announced by the government, we have asked Chelsea to temporarily suspend our partnership and, in doing so, also to remove our logo from the jerseys and around the stadium,” The Athletic quoted Threes as saying.
Chelsea’s shirt sponsor wants to help Ukrainian refugees
The company, which has been advertising on the top London club’s shirts since 2020, is “convinced it’s the right decision.” The cellphone giant went on to say: “The best way we can help the Ukrainian people (…) is to assure them that we will remain connected to those who are important to them.” That’s why Three is offering free cell phone packages to all refugees arriving in the UK from Ukraine.
This further aggravates the financial misery of the six-time English champions. The sanctions imposed on club owner Abramovich also make the planned sale impossible for the time being, as the billionaire is forbidden to make a profit with and through Chelsea FC. However, with the collapse of the deal with Three, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the west London club to cover running costs such as stadium operations and staff costs. According to “The Athletic”, it was planned that Three would pay Chelsea FC £40 million (a good 47.7 million euros) annually for sponsorship until 2023.
Meanwhile, it is unclear whether the “Blues” will play without the Three logo on the shirt chest in the away game against Norwich City. Since the team is already in the stadium, observers assume that coach Thomas Tuchel’s team will appear on the pitch with the sponsor for the last time at the game (from 8.30 p.m. in the t-online live ticker).