The first 24 hours of Chelsea Football Club’s history were strange, confusing and dramatic as a (semi) ‘frozen asset’, so let’s try to make sense of that based on what has been reported and what was actually published by the British government.

You can find the complete (and rather short) text of the “general license” issued by the Office for the Implementation of Financial Sanctions (OFSI) here: general license OFSI – INT/2022/1327076. This allows Chelsea to remain active despite the sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich.

It should be noted that Chelsea have already made it clear that we want to engage with the government to change these rules to allow for more reasonable operating conditions for the club (which the government claims to be/was their intention). And the powers that be also claim to be open to such reviews and adjustments, as well as, it seems, overseeing a transfer of ownership from Abramovich (without him receiving any proceeds himself, of course). .

We’ll see all of that. For now, here’s what we can and can’t do. These rules are currently in effect from March 10, 2022 to May 31, 2022.

CAN DO (“Permissions”)

• Play games and go to matches (if you already have a ticket, single or seasonal), buy food and drinks at the stadium
• Pay the salaries of all employees, including players, coaches, administrators – everyone at the club except Abramovich
• Pay “reasonable fees” to maintain club infrastructure, pay taxes, provide security. No specific limit.
• Pay “reasonable expenses” to travel to/from matches, not to exceed £20,000 per match per team
• Pay ‘reasonable costs’ to organize matchdays, not to exceed £500,000 per match per team
• Fulfill previously agreed transfer obligations (before March 10, 2022) and receive income from previously agreed transfer obligations (i.e. loan fees, monthly installments, contingent fees, etc.)
• Receive broadcast royalties (television, both foreign and domestic, for all competitions), including those based on performance (i.e. prize money). All income is supposed to be frozen immediately, but it’s also what we expect to use to continue to fund the running costs of the club, so it doesn’t really make sense.

CAN’T DO

• Pay Abramovich, directly or indirectly, from or through any source
• Undertake any new infrastructure development or renovation
• Make any new transfer, incoming or outgoing
• Sign new contract extensions
• Sell ​​new tickets, single match or season
• Sell ​​any merchandise in official club stores
• Sell ​​any new merchandise to third-party resellers. Third-party dealers who have existing stock can sell it (as long as Chelsea or Abramovich do not receive any additional financial benefit from them).

Basically, if an agreement with a financial component was not in place before March 10, 2022, it is not allowed. This is the part, besides the sales process, that Chelsea must first and foremost change, in particular ticket sales and contract/transfer restrictions. They can be achieved without benefiting Abramovich, and can ensure that the club can continue to exist and function on and off the pitch (somewhat) normally in the next phase of our history.