The British government approved the sale to a consortium led by the American billionaire Todd Boehly of the English soccer club Chelsea, still in the hands of the Russian Roman Abramovich, subject to sanctions linked to the invasion of Ukraine.
“The Government has issued a license that allows the sale of Chelsea,” the British Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, Nadine Dorries, announced on the social network on Wednesday. twitter.
1/2 Last night the Government issued a license that allows the sale of @Chelsea Football Club. Given the sanctions we impose on those linked to Putin and the bloody invasion of Ukraine, the club’s long-term future can only be secured with a new owner.
— Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) May 25, 2022
“Given the sanctions we apply to anyone linked to [Presidente russo, Vladimir] Putin and the bloody invasion of Ukraine, the long-term future of the club can only be guaranteed with a new owner“added the minister.
“We are confident that the proceeds of the sale will not benefit Roman Abramovich or any other sanctioned individuals,” Dorries said.
The minister thanked “everyone, especially the directors who worked tirelessly to keep the club playing and make this sale possible, protecting the fans and the football community in general.”
On Tuesday, Portuguese Foreign Minister João Gomes Cravinho confirmed contacts with the British government about the sale of Chelsea.
Foreign confirms contacts with the United Kingdom for the sale of Chelsea
“In relation to Chelsea, of course, there is an absolutely fundamental point here: Portugal applies the sanctions that were decreed by the European Union. We do it rigorously, we do it without exceptions, and that is how we apply the sanctions, that is how we will continue to apply the sanctions”, said the head of the Portuguese diplomacy, questioned by journalists on the sidelines of the visit. the island of Santo Antao, Cape Verde.
Since Roman Abramovich has a Portuguese passport, the Portuguese authorities will also have to authorize the deal, the BBC reported on Monday.
“The British government is looking at possibilities of disposing of what is currently owned by a person on the sanctions list. Obviously, we are in dialogue with the British government, we are in dialogue with the European Commission, but we will be uncompromising in the application of our legal obligations”, said João Gomes Cravinho.
Chelsea, ranked third in the last edition of the Premier League, acts with limitations, due to the sanctions imposed on Abramovich.
At the moment, Chelsea operates with a special authorization that expires on May 31, which allows it to carry out certain operations, such as receiving money for television rights and selling tickets for certain matches.
On May 7, the Londoners announced that the group led by Boehly would acquire Chelsea for 4.25 billion pounds sterling (4.9 billion euros). The acquisition was approved by the English Football League on Tuesday.
Source: Observadora
