The collapse of Roman Abramovich’s empire as Chelsea owner sanctioned by UK government

It is less than 10 years since Roman Abramovich hoisted the most prized trophy in club football above his head as thousands of adoring - and grateful - Chelsea fans celebrated wildly at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

The May 2012 Champions League triumph - the first for a London team - was a moment to savour for the enigmatic billionaire Russian who had become by far the highest profile oligarch in Britain thanks to a swooping up of one of its most famous sporting names in 2003.

How things have changed. Today the man who took Chelsea to unimagined glory saw control of his beloved club effectively snatched from him in the most dramatic fashion through tough Government sanctions over his links with Vladimir Putin that freezes all his assets in the UK.

Chelsea now faces a highly uncertain future unable to sell players, tickets, even replica shirts, and its owner of almost two decades banned from British shores.

The extraordinary move, ahead of tonight’s Premier League clash with Norwich City, comes a week after Abramovich said he had taken the “incredibly difficult decision” to sell Chelsea because of what he described as “the current situation,”

Talks about the sale of the club will now be far more complicated and the original reported asking price of £3 billion will never be achieved. Some commentators believe the club is now probably worth less than half that sum and the Russian will have no further role in the sales process.

One bid is being put together by property tycoon Nick Candy it was revealed this week, while US businessman Todd Boehly and Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss are heading a separate consortium.

As well as the club Abramovich was also said to be in advanced talks about the sale of two trophy - but now