Chelsea are expected to lose at least £600,000 each time they play at home as the ramifications of sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich becomes painfully evident.
On Thursday morning, the government announced that the Chelsea owner's UK-based assets had been frozen, effectively stopping the sale of the club in its tracks.Abramovich announced his intention to sell last week in the wake of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, and prospective buyers from all over the world have been preparing takeover proposals.But today's sanctions have completely muddied the waters and Chelsea are now teetering on the edge of an ambiguous peril.As it stands, the club cannot sell match-day tickets (though season-ticket holders will still be allowed in), they can't buy or sell any players, or extend any contracts and they're not allowed to sell any merchandise.Stamford Bridge has a capacity of just over 40,000, and approximately 28,000 of those are sold to season-ticket holders, which means that around 12,000 tickets will go unsold each week.With the cheapest ticket prices coming at £47, the club stands to lose at least £603,198 for every home game until this issue is sorted, a study by OLBG found.The Blues have at least five home matches remaining this season, and could have more depending on how far they progress in the Champions League, which means they're on course to lose millions in the coming weeks.Is it right that fans have been banned from buying match tickets?
Let us know what you think in the comments...Chelsea's shirt sponsors Three also announced today that they are temporarily suspending their £40 million-a-year partnership with the club, and have asked that their logo to be removed from the kit and from around the stadium.
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