Chelsea cleared to sell tickets as Abramovich eyes new club
Abramovich has allegedly opened talks to buy a new football club while still in the process of trying to sell Chelsea
Chelsea will be allowed to sell some tickets for the remainder of the season after the UK government eased the terms of its licence while ensuring that no further revenue goes to the club.
The European champions have been banned from selling tickets since their owner, Roman Abramovich, was sanctioned this month for his links to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
But the changes announced by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) mean away fans will be able to attend matches at Stamford Bridge — including the Real Madrid supporters hoping to be at their Champions League quarter-final tie — while Chelsea fans can now purchase tickets for their away games.
The DCMS said that any revenue for Chelsea away matches will “accrue to the host team”. Money raised from visiting fans purchasing tickets for Chelsea’s remaining league home fixtures will go to the Premier League.
In the case of future FA Cup and Champions League games, fans will be able to purchase tickets but the revenue will go via the Premier League to the relevant competition organiser or home club.
An initial proposal to allow a commercial ticket agency or other body to sell tickets was rejected over issues around sharing the club’s database. Instead, an updated licence has been issued by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation with the changes.
Meanwhile, Abramovich has allegedly opened talks to buy a new football club while still in the process of trying to sell Chelsea.
According to Turkish publication Fanatik, the Russian is apparently keen to remain within the football industry and has now started negotiations to buy Super Lig club Goztepe.
Turkey is currently not applying sanctions to Russians, and the reports of Abramovich opening negotiations with Goztepe come just 48 hours after his £750million super-yacht Eclipse docked at a port in the resort of Marmaris.
His other luxury yacht, My Solaris, arrived in Bodrum a day earlier, triggering a protest by a group of Ukrainians, who unsuccessfully attempted to prevent the vessel from docking aboard a small motorboat.
