The businessman has yet to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine

 

Abramovich originally hoped to divert the proceeds of a sale into a new foundation for the victims of the war in Ukraine, which he is yet to condemn Putin for launching. But the government will only sanction a sale that does not see Abramovich benefit as the government tightens the screw on influential individuals it views as enabling Putin's regime.

 

The government did on Saturday ease one of the terms of the license restricting Chelsea's finances, raising the cap on matchday spending to run Stamford Bridge from 500,000 pounds to 900,000 pounds ($1.2 million) ahead of Sunday's Premier League game against Newcastle.

 

Chelsea had company credit cards from Barclaycard frozen as a result of the sanctions.

 

After disqualifying Abramovich, the Premier League confirmed that "the board's decision does not impact on the club's ability to train and play its fixtures."

 

Some Chelsea fans have continued to stand by Abramovich during the opening two weeks of the war, even chanting his name at a game last weekend that the league hoped to use to show solidarity to Ukraine and the victims of Russia's invasion.

 

Chelsea has seen success under Abramovich's ownership

 

Abramovich's disqualification halts the reign of the competition's first billionaire foreign owner, whose fortune turned Chelsea into one of the biggest-spending clubs in Europe and one of the game's most successful. His investment ended Chelsea's 50-year domestic title drought when the league was won in 2005 and the trophy has been collected another four times.

 

The team has collected 21 trophies since 2004 thanks to spending on players that has seen Abramovich inject more than 1.5 billion pounds ($2 billion) into Chelsea through loans he said he will not ask to be repaid.

 

Sanctions were imposed against Abramovich after the government called him a "pro-Kremlin oligarch" linked to "destabilizing ... undermining and threatening" Ukraine where the war is into a third week. Abramovich has made no comment since being sanctioned.

 

Abramovich has been without a British visa since 2018 when he withdrew an application to renew his visa amid a clampdown on rich Russians after a former Russian spy and his daughter were poisoned in the English city of Salisbury.

 

Abramovich has since gained citizenship in both Israel and Portugal. But there are investigations in Portugal into how Abramovich was naturalized as a citizen based on receiving confirmation he is a descendant of Sephardic Jews. A rabbi in the city has been detained, police said Saturday, without confirming local media reports about him being questioned in relation to Abramovich gaining Portuguese nationality.