Chelsea were left facing further uncertainty after the club’s credit cards were temporarily suspended in the wake of owner Roman Abramovich being sanctioned by the UK Government.
The club have been granted a license to continue with “football-related activities” but Chelsea are unable to operate as a business and have been banned from selling match tickets or merchandise.
Chelsea have been in discussions with the government in the hope of amending the license and easing the restrictions but were hit on Friday when banks suspended the club’s accounts.
The Independent has been told that it came as companies accessed the operating license handed to the club, but it is understood that Chelsea are hopeful the credit cards will soon be up and running as normal.
Abramovich was sanctioned on Thursday after the government claimed to have proven the 55-year-old’s links to Russian president Vladimir Putin. Russian-Israeli billionaire Abramovich has always denied links to Russia’s current regime, but Putin’s war in Ukraine has led to a major geopolitical shift.
Chelsea’s strict licence is designed to ensure Abramovich will not profit amid the Stamford Bridge club’s continued operations, but Blues chiefs were understood to have been locked in negotiations with Government officials throughout Friday on amendments to that new licence.
Chelsea expect negotiations with Downing Street to continue into next week as the two parties thrash out an easing of the restrictions.
The Premier League club will seek a relaxation of limits like the £20,000 travel cap for away matches for example, with a typical Premier League spend far closer to £30,000 per match.
Chelsea are thought to have their travel and accommodation bills already paid for the rest of this season for existing fixtures, but this does not cover cup competitions.
The Blues are slated to face Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, March 19.
Under the current rules, Chelsea cannot sell any new tickets for that match, which would severely hit Championship club Middlesbrough’s gate revenue.
Chelsea cannot sell any new match programmes for Sunday’s Premier League home clash with Newcastle, so vendors are thought to be unable to work at Stamford Bridge.
Abramovich put Chelsea up for sale on March 2, amid Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine, with his ownership set to end after 19 years and 21 trophies.
Abramovich had pledged to write off the club’s £1.5billion debt and plough all sale proceeds into a new charitable foundation to aid victims of the war in Ukraine.
Chelsea’s current licence terms have paused the club’s sale, but the Government is understood to be ready to take control of the process, or oversee a transfer of ownership carried out by Abramovich.
Additional reporting from PA
