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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Colin Millar

Chelsea license to operate amended by government with new matchday budget

Chelsea have had their license to operate amended by the British government with an increased budget for matchdays.

The government are now responsible for budgetary issues surrounding the club in the wake of the sanctions imposed on Blues owner Roman Abramovich.

The billionaire has had his assets frozen in the UK in the wake of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, although he continues to deny any links to president Vladimir Putin.

On Saturday, the Premier League confirmed they had suspended Abramovich as director of the club.

The West London club are now operating under a special license - severely limiting their revenue streams - and shirt sponsors Three have suspended their partnership, worth £40million per annum.

Barclays have also suspended the club's bank account and there's a possibility the Blues could face financial armageddon between now and the summer due to the precarious situation.

Have Your Say! Will there be a summer exodus of players at Chelsea? Tell us what you think here.

Chelsea's matchday budget has been increased by the government's amendment (JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

The Blues had initially been restricted to a matchday budget of £500k due to the government’s sanctions on owner Abramovich.

That is the budget which the club can spend on the day of the match, including on security and stewarding of the match alongside other outgoings on services around the game.

This has now been increased to allow the club to spend £900k on their matchday budget, which is closer to the £1million that is normally expended.

That is the main amendment to the license, but other changes appear to be more lenient to the club and allow them greater breathing space to operate.

The club can now receive any prize money from its successes on the pitch but will be unable to access that money under its current state of ownership.

However, two key aspects which the amendment have not updated are the sale of matchday tickets and the club’s travel budget for away matches.

For Chelsea ’s matches, the club are no longer allowed to sell tickets for matches outside of those which it had completed prior to the sanctions on Abramovich.

That means that only season ticket holders and those who had already bought tickets for their matches can attend games.

The club’s budget for away matches remains limited at £20k – an amount which may prove to be prohibitive for travel to European matches.

Chelsea can't sign or sell players or extend existing deals. Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and captain Cesar Azpilicueta are all out of contract in June.

Speaking after the 3-1 win against Norwich on Thursday evening, manager Thomas Tuchel praised his players for carrying on in difficult circumstances.

Tuchel has admitted that the club's situation is challenging for him and his players (REUTERS)

"Of course, there was a lot of distraction, another level of distraction with the sanctions and we could feel it," said the German coach.

"The players talked about it, they are aware of it and we accepted it, but the rhythm, excitement and love for the game helped us.

"We demanded it to work hard, to sweat it out and work together. It is the best thing to get the focus back and to enjoy what we are doing.

"Full credit, I think the team shows very good character and we can be proud that they produce performances like this under the circumstances.

"It tells us we are right to trust them, that the attitude is right, the culture at the club is right and we keep on going."

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