Breaking! Chelsea’s champions league clash with Lille in doubts as Abramovich suffers new sanction
Chelsea’s scheduled Champions League clash with Lille on Wednesday has been plunged into serious doubt after the European Union decided to sanction Roman Abramovich on Tuesday.
The L’Equipe reports that the new restrictions have the potential to threaten the status of Wednesday’s second-leg knockout stage match between Chelsea and Lille in the Champions League.
Chelsea will carry a two-goal advantage into the tie after beating Lille 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, courtesy of goals from Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic.
However, The EU has now placed sanction on the Russian billionaire for having close ties with Russia president Vladimir Putin.
The new sanctions mean the European Union has the power to seize as well as freeze assets of the Chelsea owner.
A statement said: “Roman Abramovich is a Russian oligarch who has long and close ties to Vladimir Putin,”
“He has had privileged access to the president, and has maintained very good relations with him.
“This connection with the Russian leader helped him to maintain his considerable wealth. He is a major shareholder of the steel group Evraz, which is one of
Russia’s largest taxpayers.
“He has therefore been benefitting from Russian decision-makers responsible for the annexation of Crimea or the destabilisation of Ukraine.
“He is also one of the leading Russian businesspersons involved in economic sectors providing a substantial source of revenue to the Government of the Russian Federation, which is responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the destabilisation of Ukraine.”