Premier League disqualifies Abramovich as Chelsea manager

The english premier league banned on saturday Roman Abramovich lead to Chelsea after the owner of the club was sanctioned by the British government for the war of Russia against Ukraine.

The league board’s decision to disqualify the Russian oligarch as Chelsea manager ends his 19-year control of the west London club but does not directly impact the players.

“The board’s decision does not impact the club’s ability to train and play its matches,” the Premier said in a statement.

The team is able to continue operating under a license issued by the British government when it froze Abramovich’s assets on Thursday while imposing sanctions on him for his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, including spending restrictions. Chelsea had their Barclaycard credit cards frozen as a result of the sanctions.

Giving in to pressure against his permanence in the property, Abramovich had already announced last week, before being sanctioned, that he would put Chelsea up for sale.

The government is now overseeing the sale process, which is being worked on by the investment bank Raine Group.

Abramovich originally hoped to divert the proceeds to a new foundation for war victims in Ukraine, though he has yet to condemn Putin for his invasion. But the government will only approve a sale that does not benefit Abramovich, as the government raises the bar on influential people it sees as facilitating the Putin regime.

“Profits from any sale may not accrue to the sanctioned person while subject to sanctions,” the government said.

Some Chelsea fans have continued to support Abramovich during the first two weeks of the war, even chanting his name at a match last weekend that the league hoped to use to show solidarity with Ukraine and the victims of the Russian invasion.

Abramovich’s disqualification from the Premiership ends the reign of the competition’s first billionaire foreign owner, whose fortune made Chelsea one of the biggest spenders in Europe and one of the most successful in football. His investment ended Chelsea’s 50-year domestic title drought, when it won the league in 2005, and the trophy has now been won four more times.

The team are reigning European and world champions thanks to spending on players that has seen Abramovich pump more than 1.5 billion pounds ($2 billion) into Chelsea through loans that he said he will not ask for. are returned.

Abramovich has not commented since he was sanctioned.