In the course of the sanctions against the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, the football World Cup winner FC Chelsea apparently loses its main sponsor.
According to a statement on Thursday, the mobile phone company Three has asked the club of German coach Thomas Tuchel to remove the advertising from the shirt chest and the area around the stadium until further notice.
“In the light of the recent sanctions, we demand from Chelsea FC that our sponsorship of the club (…) be suspended,” it said. This will displease many Chelsea fans, but is “the right thing to do in the given circumstances”.
According to media reports, Three spent the equivalent of 48 million euros per season on advertising.
The British government had put club owner Abramovich on its sanctions list, causing massive problems for Chelsea. From now on, the Londoners can only play in the English Premier League thanks to a special license. In addition, the sale of the club that Abramovich is considering is impossible for the time being.