English football has been rocked by the news that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned by the UK Government.
In light of Russia's continued war in Ukraine, Abramovich is one of seven oligarchs now targeted by the government in the latest round of sanctions. Abramovich had already signalled his intention to sell Chelsea, and wants to 'transfer stewardship' of the club to trustees, but that process is now restricted.
While Manchester United and Manchester City are not directly impacted by the action, they may be affected in some aspects with Chelsea's transfer activity restricted as well as rules prohibiting ticket sales. In the transfer market, Chelsea may pay staff and players, as well as pay necessary operating costs, but must not sign any new players or complete any new contracts.
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Chelsea spent over £100m last summer, and if the sanctions remain until the summer transfer window that would effectively put them under a transfer embargo while City and United target reinforcements to strengthen for next season. Chelsea had been linked with Erling Haaland, along with both City and United, but would not be able to sign the Norwegian this summer as it stands.
If City or United wanted to buy any Chelsea player, that could also be prohibited. Under the new rules, Abramovich is prohibited from profiting in any way.
Perhaps the most significant aspect of the new restrictions is that Chelsea cannot sell any new tickets for fixtures, meaning only season tickets or tickets already on sale can be used. This affects all competitions at home, away and neutral venues.
That may mean Chelsea are unable to sell tickets for their away trip to United on May 15 in the penultimate game of the season, unless United are able to sell directly to Chelsea fans. City have already played Chelsea twice, but both sides could meet Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-finals or possible semi-finals if Chelsea overcome Lille and United get past Atletico Madrid. City booked their place in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.
City and Chelsea are both in the FA Cup quarter-finals, and could potentially face each other in a Wembley semi-final or final. Again, depending on the process for selling tickets for these games, Chelsea fans may be prohibited from attending such games.
Finally, Abramovich cannot now proceed with selling Chelsea, potentially stalling the club over the summer and making their challenge of mounting a successful Premier League title challenge next season far more difficult. If the sanctions, which also limit the money that can be spent on staging matches, and freezes broadcast income, has an adverse effect on Chelsea's form this season, United may hope they can capitalise in their hunt for a top-four spot.
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