The sanctions announced Thursday put that sale on hold, and include some rather draconian and immediate limitations on the club. Chelsea cannot sell any merchandise or tickets for upcoming games, though the roughly 25,000 season ticket holders will still be allowed to attend matches. No new contracts or transfers for new players may be completed while the club is under government control, and the travel budget for the club per game is reduced to a paltry £20,000 per match.
The only worse outcome for the club would be the government seized Chelsea as an asset taking over operational control. This falls short of that.
These sanctions immediately put the competitive future of Chelsea F.C. in significant limbo, as a planned rushed sale of the club is now going to proceed at a more glacial pace for which government agencies are infamous. While that gets sorted, the club cannot negotiate any new contracts for key players, like three of their top defenders who are on expiring contracts, nor can they bring in any new talent.
Chelsea’s shirt sponsor Three has confirmed to @CBSSportsGolazo that they are reviewing their agreement with the club, which is understood to expire in 2023. At the time of its agreement, it was said to be worth around £40m a year.