On Thursday, March 10, sanctions were placed on Roman Abramovich due to his close relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin, amid the conflict in Ukraine. Chelsea were caught up in the chaos. As a key asset of Abramovich, the club found itself unable to conduct business that would benefit the owner. A special licence was issued by the government of the United Kingdom to allow sporting operations to continue.
However, under the terms of the licence, Chelsea were unable to sell tickets. Season ticket holders were still allowed to attend games and matches went ahead as planned, but no more tickets could be sold after that date. Furthermore, the club shops were forced to close.
The nature of the sanctions also meant Chelsea would not be able to sign or sell players, and contract negotiations for existing players came under difficulty. Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta, and Andreas Christensen are three of the first-team stars whose deals expire at the end of the season.
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These restrictions were always seen as a temporary measure until a quick sale of the club could be facilitated, with the government's intention being to sanction Abramovich rather than punish Chelsea. The process of finding a new owner is ongoing, with a variety of potential bidders coming to the fore, but no deal is yet complete. However, a revision to the licence announced on March 23 provided good news for fans, at least.
Chelsea ticket update: What changes?
The conditions imposed by the sanctions were that fans could only attend a game if they bought their ticket before March 10 or had a season ticket. That has since been revised, with Chelsea now allowed supporters for the majority of fixtures.
Blues fans will be able to attend the FA Cup semi-final with Crystal Palace at Wembley and the Champions League quarter-final tie with Real Madrid. Fans of the women's team will be allowed to attend WSL matches. However, Chelsea will only have tickets available for Premier League away matches, with club members still unable to purchase tickets for games being held at Stamford Bridge. Fans of visiting teams will also be able to purchase tickets for the away section when their team visits Chelsea.
PL statement re #CFC ticket situation rethink. pic.twitter.com/ucniQZFtvA
— Adam Leventhal (@AdamLeventhal) March 23, 2022
Chelsea are still banned from turning over revenue on ticket sales, and any money generated will go to the Premier League rather than the club. The league have announced the money will be donated to charities, with the goal of benefitting victims of the war in Ukraine, as per a request from Chelsea.
Can Chelsea fans buy tickets?
Chelsea fans will be able to buy tickets again but only to some games. Fans will be able to buy tickets for cup competitions, and money raised from those ticket sales will go to the organisers of those competitions.
However, fans are still unable to buy tickets for Premier League games at Stamford Bridge. Away fans will be able to travel and season ticket holders will have no problem attending the games, but sections of the home support will be absent.
Unless further clarification is received from the league or the FA, Chelsea fans may have to wait for a change in ownership over the coming weeks or months before ticket restrictions are lifted entirely.
Can Chelsea fans travel to matches?
Chelsea fans will be able to attend away matches in all competitions, with tickets back on sale for games in the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League.
This change to the special licence will be a relief to all involved after Chelsea made a request to Middlesbrough for their FA Cup match to take place behind closed doors. The request was laughed off, their opponents describing it as "bizarre and without any merit whatsoever."
Thankfully, such scenes are unlikely to be repeated, as Chelsea fans can now follow their team on the road.