Chelsea fans must cease screaming Russian owner Roman Abramovich’s name, according to a spokeswoman for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday.
During Sunday’s home game against Newcastle United, Blues fans once again expressed their support for Abramovich.
This comes after the British government sanctioned him last week for his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Abramovich’s assets were blocked, and Chelsea was given a special license that allows them to continue operating but not create additional revenue.
Since purchasing Chelsea in 2003, the billionaire has led the team to unprecedented success.
However, Boris Johnson’s official spokesman says that fans should not be blinded by Abramovich’s ties to the man leading Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We recognise the strength of feeling around people’s clubs, but that does not excuse behaviour which is completely inappropriate at this time,” Janes Slack said.
“I think people can show passion and support for their club without resorting to that sort of stuff.”
The Government has said it is still “open” to Chelsea being sold but that a new application would be needed to enable a sale.
So far, Slack said, the club had not applied for a variation to its strict special licence.
“We are open to the sale of the club, we would consider an application for a licence to allow that to happen in the right circumstances,” the spokesman said.
“But it is for Chelsea to determine the exact process. My understanding is potential buyers would approach the club, who would then need to apply for a further amended licence to facilitate the sale.
“As far as I’m aware that hasn’t happened at this point.”
Abramovich first put the club up for sale on March 2 and a number of interested parties are understood to remain in the frame in spite of the imposition of sanctions.
These include British billionaire Nick Candy, a consortium featuring Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss, plus interest from former Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton.
The Government will oversee the sale process to ensure there is no benefit to Abramovich, with New York merchant bank the Raine Group handling the sale.
Discussion about this post