Chelsea have been cast into chaos after owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK Government over his links to Vladimir Putin.
The staggering measures mean that Chelsea will only be able to operate on a special “Russia Regulations” licence, with the sanctions seeing all transfers, new contracts and the sale of the club put on hold.
Fans have also been hit hard as the move will see the club heavily restricted in terms of ticket sales.
Standard Sport runs you through the situation the club and fans have been left in following the sanctions...
Who can buy tickets?
No one. Those who have already purchased match tickets or season tickers will see those honoured, but the club are no longer able to sell tickets for upcoming games.
It means games later in the season will be watched by season ticket holders alone, of which there are thought to be around 28,000, while should Chelsea progress in the Champions League they would effectively be barred from having fans, with cup ties not included in the season tickets.
The Chelsea ticket sales website was not working following the announcement.
What about the FA Cup?
Chelsea are due to face Championship side Middlesbrough in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Saturday, March 19.
In a statement on Thursday morning, Chelsea said: “Tickets for the Middlesbrough away FA Cup match will not go on sale today as planned.
“Further updates will follow in due course.”
Were Chelsea to progress through to the semi-finals, it is unclear how many would be able to attend the game at Wembley Stadium.
What about away fans?
As it stands it would appear that the sanctions on Chelsea mean that away fans will also be unable to purchase tickets for upcoming fixtures - with Newcastle set to visit Stamford Bridge this Sunday.
The Premier League are thought to be working on a solution to allow away fans to attend games at Stamford Bridge, with questions over the integrity of the competition should fans from both sides not be in attendance.
What about next season?
Chelsea are planning further talks with the Premier League to ensure they can “operate as normal as possible” as a club as, at the moment, the club would not be able to proceed with any season ticket renewals - a major source of revenue with the cheapest season ticket at £595.
