Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure that no financial benefits from licensed football activities at Chelsea Football Club go to (a) sanctioned individuals, (b) sanctioned entities, (c) entities where the beneficial owner is a sanctioned individual or (d) the Russian Government.

Roman Abramovich is a designated person, subject to financial sanctions. This means that all funds and economic resources belonging to him are subject to an asset freeze in the UK. As such, Chelsea Football Club and its subsidiaries are also subject to an asset freeze.

General Licence INT/2022/1327076 permits the Club to undertake activities that are necessary to carry out its business as a football club, including playing and hosting fixtures. Although the licence allows payment to the club for certain activities those funds will be frozen; Roman Abramovich will not be able to access them. The licence only permits certain limited activities, it does not authorise anyone to deal with Roman Abramovich’s funds or economic resources, or make funds or economic resources available, to him or the Club outside the terms of the licence.