The UK government has made changes to Chelsea’s operating license which means fans can now buy tickets for certain matches and Roman Abramovich can invest £30m in the club to keep it running while a sale is made.
Section 10.3 of Chelsea’s amended operating license states: “Under this licence, subject to the conditions below, the parent may pay the club up to £30,000,000.00 in respect of cash or liquidity problems faced by the club.”
The parent company is Fordstam Ltd, which is owned by Abramovich, who was sanctioned by the British government on March 10. Chelsea FC PLC is financially supported by Fordstam.
In another licensing change, Chelsea fans can now buy tickets for away matches, cup matches and women’s fixtures
This means fans will be able to purchase tickets for Chelsea’s FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace at Wembley on the weekend of April 16-17.
However, tickets for Premier League home matches are still subject to restrictions. Only season ticket holders and those who purchased tickets before owner Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government will be able to attend.
Visiting fans will be able to purchase tickets for Chelsea’s remaining Premier League home fixtures, with all proceeds going to the Premier League.
Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said: “The Government today made changes to Chelsea Football Club’s license so fans can access tickets for away matches, cup matches and women’s fixtures.
“I would like to thank the fans for their patience while we engaged with the football authorities to make this possible.
“Since Roman Abramovich was added to the UK sanctions list for his links to Vladimir Putin, we have worked hard to ensure the club can continue to play football while ensuring the sanctions regime continues. to be applied.”
The Premier League later said any extra income it received from Chelsea ticket sales would be donated to charities helping Ukrainian refugees.
A spokesperson said: “Chelsea FC have requested and the Premier League have agreed that this revenue be donated to charity for the benefit of war victims in Ukraine. The beneficiary charities will be announced in due course after consultation with the club.”
The changes mean Chelsea fans will be able to buy tickets for future Premier League away matches, with all revenue going to the host team.
For future FA Cup and Champions League matches, fans will be able to buy tickets, but again the revenue will go via the Premier League to the competition organizer or local club concerned rather than to Chelsea in order to remain compliant with the current sanctions.
In the case of Women’s Super League matches, an exception will be made to allow fans to purchase home and away tickets, as these matches have not yet gone on general sale and there is a risk empty stands for these matches.
Future Chelsea Women’s FA Cup tickets will be sold in the same way as Men’s FA Cup tickets, with proceeds going to the competition organiser.
Race to buy Chelsea: Ricketts family fly to London but face backlash
The Ricketts family fly to London to meet key Chelsea players as they wait to find out if they are on the shortlist of preferred bidders for the club.
The race to buy Chelsea heats up with the Raine Group meeting now to create a shortlist of groups best placed to take control of the club, with an announcement expected shortly and ownership of the Premier League club set to change hands in a month.
Sky Sports News understands the purpose of the Ricketts’ trip is to meet key club stakeholders, including the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust and the Chelsea Pitch Owners.
However, the family faced backlash from Chelsea Chicago Supporters Club chief Brian Wolff, who posted a letter on Twitter on Monday opposing the Ricketts’ potential takeover of Chelsea.
The Ricketts family later said in a statement that if they were successful in buying Chelsea they would actively promote the values of diversity and inclusion.
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Chelsea match schedule:
To rearrange: Leicester (H) premier league
To rearrange: Leeds Premier League, live on Sky Sports
March 19 – Middlesbrough FA Cup QF
April 2 – Brentford (M) premier league
April 6 – Real Madrid (H) Champions League Qualifying first leg
April 9 – Southampton premier league
April 12 – Real Madrid (a) Champions League Qualifying second leg
April 16/17 – Crystal Palace (Wembley), FA Cup semi-final
April 20 – Arsenal (H) premier league, live on Sky Sports
April 24 – West Ham (H) premier league, live on Sky Sports
April 26/27 – Man City/Atletico Champions League SF first leg*
May 1 – Everton (a) premier league, live on Sky Sports
May 3/4 – Man City/Atletico SF Champions League second leg*
May 7 – Wolves (H) premier league
May 14 – FA Cup Final *
May 15 – Manchester United (a) premier league
May 22 – Watford (H) premier league
May 28 – Champions League Final *
* Subject to progress