Chelsea unable to buy fuel for team bus after Barclays freeze their credit cards

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Chelsea saw their bank accounts with Barclays temporarily suspended on Friday evening as the impact of sanctions imposed against their owner, Roman Abramovich, hit home

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Thomas Tuchel reacts to a strange day at Chelsea

Chelsea are unable to fill up their team bus at the petrol station after their bank accounts were temporarily suspended, according to reports.

The Blues are paying the price for owner Roman Abramovich’s links with Russian president Vladimir Putin, who has faced mass condemnation and severe sanctions for invading Ukraine.

Abramovich – a long-time associate of Putin’s – was added to the United Kingdom’s sanctioned individuals list on Thursday, resulting in the freezing of his assets in a move which has had a huge impact on Chelsea’s day-to-day operations.

The Stamford Bridge club have seen their £40million-per-season deal with shirt sponsor Three put on hold and, in a further blow on Friday evening, their accounts with Barclays were temporarily suspended so the bank can investigate their special sporting license.

Have Chelsea been treated fairly as part of the sanctions against Roman Abramovich? Have your say in the comments…

Chelsea are reportedly unable to full up their team bus (

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Getty Images)

The Athletic reports this means Chelsea are prevented from using their company credit cards, meaning they are unable to conduct transactions such as buying fuel.

This raises further questions of how the Blues are supposed to fullfil away fixtures, such as their trip to French giants Lille in the Champions League next Wednesday.

They have a cap of £20,000 to spend on travel as part of their license to continue football-related operations, presenting club chiefs with a headache as they try to work out how they will make it to Stade Pierre Mauroy.

Delia Smith slams Chelsea and admits she loved Norwich fans’ “dirty” chant Chelsea sale back on after Roman Abramovich and government find agreement

Chelsea hope Barclays will soon lift their restrictions on their accounts while they also remain in regular contact with government officials with a view to amending the terms of their license.

There were growing concerns the West Londoners would be unable to complete the season if they were not granted more favorable terms – such as permission to sell match tickets – but Abramovich is pushing ahead with the sale of the club to allay such fears.

The oligarch’s team and The Raine Group – the merchant bank overseeing the sale – have struck a deal with the government to ensure he can offload the club under strict conditions.

Roman Abramovich is pushing ahead with his sale of Chelsea (

Image:

REUTERS)

As part of these conditions, the government officials will have the final say on how funds raised by the sale can be used. They will also have to give their consent to the potential buyer to take the takeover.

British property tycoon Nick Candy is among those monitoring the situation with a view to submitting a bid but three American-led consortiums are believed to be leading the race to purchase Chelsea.

Meanwhile, Blues players must shut out their noise surrounding the club as they host Newcastle in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

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