Canada sanctions Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich

It comes after Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government

Canada has imposed sanctions on five Russian individuals including billionaire and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, Prime Minister Justin confirmed on Friday, as reported by Reuters. Trudeau also announced at a news conference in Warsaw that 32 Russian companies and government entities have been barred from receiving defence equipment or supplies from Canada. Despite the sanctions, the Canadian operations of Russian steelmaker Evraz, of which Abramovich is the largest shareholder, will not be affected by the move.

"The sanctions on Russian officials and oligarchs like Abramovich are directed at them so that they cannot profit or benefit from economic activities in Canada or the hard work of Canadians working in companies that they have investments in," Trudeau said.

"We are obviously going to watch carefully but we are confident that this will not impact the hard working Canadians who are doing good work in companies across the country."

https://twitter.com/joncoopertweets/status/1502272635572559872

It comes after Canada sanctioned 10 people with close ties to the Russian leadership following the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

On Thursday, Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government as a result of his close ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin - the 55-year-old is one of several high-profile Russians with interests in the UK who was named in a government report which sees all of their assets frozen.

As a result of the sanctions, Chelsea are banned from offering contracts, buying players and even selling tickets and merchandise. It is also thought that the Blues - who pay out a staggering £28million a month in wages - could go bust in just 17 days and will 'beg' the Government to ease sanctions on them, with the most recent accounts showing reserves of £16million.

Related links:

• Chelsea fans sing Roman Abramovich’s name after sanctions
• Nike considering ditching Chelsea after Abramovich sanctions
• Three suspend Chelsea sponsorship following Roman Abramovich sanctions