Chelsea: Club could go 'bust' and 'fold' - may struggle to finish season

What is going to happen to Chelsea Football Club?

That is the question everyone is asking after the news emerged that Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned by the UK government.

It means the sale of the club is now very difficult.

It also means Chelsea are unable to make any money – which means no ticket sales, no merchandise being sold and a host of other punishing sanctions.

Hours before their Premier League clash against Norwich, shirt sponsors ‘Three’ have put their £40m agreement on hold. Nike, who agreed a 15-year, £900m deal with Chelsea in 2016, are now considering walking away.

That’s a shortfall of £540m right there.

The club can no longer buy or sell players or even offer new contracts. They’re also restricted to a maximum spend of £20,000 on travel to away matches making their trip to Lille next week in the Champions League particularly challenging.

They’ve also been told they can only pay ‘reasonable costs’ on home fixtures, ‘not exceeding £500,000 per fixture, per team’.

Broadcast money can still be paid but is likely to be frozen.

Suddenly, there are doubts about Chelsea’s future and, according to the Daily Mail, they could soon go bust. In fact, in the Mail’s report, they claim there are “concerns they will struggle to complete the campaign.”

Wow.

In addition to the report from the Mail, The Sun believe that if Abramovich doesn’t sell the club within 81 days, Chelsea could fold.

Chelsea have been given a special licence to continue playing until the end of the season. However, that licence will not be renewed unless Abramovich walks away without a penny.

A sale of the club can happen but only on the government’s terms.

The PM’s official spokesman explained: “A specific licence can be granted to allow any