Roman Abramovich disqualified as Chelsea director

It follows after Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government

Roman Abramovich has been disqualified as a director of Chelsea, the Premier League have confirmed. The news comes after the Russian oligarch was sanctioned by the UK government on Thursday and had all of his UK assets frozen following growing pressure from the football world and global powers alike. https://twitter.com/robharris/status/1502618603790782464?s=21 A statement from the league read: "Following the imposition of sanctions by the UK government, the Premier League board has disqualified Roman Abramovich as a Director of Chelsea Football Club. "The board’s decision does not impact on the club’s ability to train and play its fixtures, as set out under the terms of a licence issued by the Government which expires on 31 May 2022." As reported by the Independent, the Premier League's decision isn't expected to impact the sale of the club with the government watching over as bids are likely to come in within the next week. Chelsea were handed a special license in response to the sanctions imposed on Abramovich to allow them to continue with "football-related activities." The Russian billionaire put the club up for sale after almost two decades of ownership as well as pledging to write of the £1.5bn debt, with all proceedings going to the victims of the ongoing war in Ukraine. In amongst the sanctions, several of the Blues' sponsorships have assessed their relationship whilst the club's shirt sponsors, Three, announced that they had suspended their partnership with the west London club. Chelsea played with the Three sponsor featuring on their shirts in their win against Norwich City on Thursday, however, it will not feature in their game at Stamford Bridge against Newcastle United on Sunday. It's unclear as to who will be allowed to attend the game against the Magpies with the club no longer allowed to put tickets on sale - with only season ticket holders allowed to attend games for the foreseeable future. Related links:

• Chelsea have bank accounts suspended by Barclays following sanctions against Roman Abramovich
• Three suspend Chelsea sponsorship following Roman Abramovich sanctions
• Roman Abramovich sanctioned by UK government