Live UpdateFrom the Liveblog of Saturday, March 12, 2022

Premier League bans Roman Abramovich from running Chelsea

By Agencies 12 March 2022, 2:59 pm 0 Edit

Chelsea soccer club owner Roman Abramovich sits in his box on December 19, 2015, before the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Sunderland at Stamford Bridge stadium in London. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

The Premier League is banning Roman Abramovich from running Chelsea after the club owner was sanctioned by the British government over Russia’s war on Ukraine.

The league board’s decision Saturday to disqualify the Russian oligarch from being a director ends his 19 years in control of the west London club but does not directly affect the players.

“Following the imposition of sanctions by the UK Government, the Premier League board has disqualified Roman Abramovich as a director of Chelsea Football Club,” a Premier League statement said on Saturday.

“The board’s decision does not impact on the club’s ability to train and play its fixtures, as set out under the terms of a license issued by the government which expires on 31 May 2022,” the league said.

Abramovich, a Russian-Israeli oligarch, was one of seven more oligarchs sanctioned this week by the UK following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The European champions have been placed under tough restrictions due to the sanctions on Abramovich.

The team is able to continue operating under the terms of a license issued by the British government when it froze Abramovich’s assets on Thursday while imposing sanctions.

Abramovich has owned Chelsea since 2003.