Guardiola voices sympathy for Chelsea's Tuchel after sanctions

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admits he has sympathy for Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel after the European champions were hit by tough sanctions placed on Blues owner Roman Abramovich. The Russian billionaire was one of seven oligarchs targeted Thursday by the UK government following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, all described as part of President Vladimir Putin's inner circle. Abramovich last week announced he was selling the club but now his UK assets have been frozen, with strict restrictions placed on Chelsea, including over the signing of new players and ticket sales.

Read AlsoUK says Chelsea can keep playing after Roman Abramovich sanction, sale halted

Britain's government said on Thursday it would enable football club Chelsea to continue playing matches after it imposed sanctions on its owner, Roman Abramovich, halting his plan to sell the Premier League side.

Tuchel, as the face of Chelsea, has found himself in the position of de facto club spokesman on the Abramovich situation in recent weeks. Guardiola, speaking to the reporters, conceded it was an awkward situation for a football manager to deal with. "When there was Covid we were asked to talk like doctors on the medicine, the vaccines," he said. "It looks like when we speak here we have to know absolutely everything. "We are the face of the club, we are right here every three days, so you ask whatever you want, but you have to understand that there are subjects we don't know, and we don't have a one-hour lesson to speak or talk about what you are asking for.

Read AlsoSignings, sackings and success: How Roman Abramovich transformed Chelsea

Roman Abramovich was in Abu Dhabi last month to watch his beloved Chelsea lift the Club World Cup for the first time,