West Ham fans may be blocked to attend PL clash v Chelsea
West Ham fans may not be allowed to cheer their team when the side travels to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea in the Premier League next month.
According to Miguel Delaney of The Independent, no away fans will be permitted at Stamford Bridge after Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK authorities.
The Russian oligarch has already decided to quit the ownership at the club, but as it stands, the sale of the club has been barred. His assets have been frozen.
Abramovich was reportedly among the seven Russian businessmen added to the sanction list as the British government takes strong measures over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine [CNBC].
The 55-year-old announced last week that he would sell Chelsea which was in the best interest of the club and that all net proceeds from the sale would be donated to the victims of the war [Chelsea].
As a result, Chelsea are not allowed to sell their tickets, and only the season ticket holders are allowed to attend games.
It also means there will be no away fans at Stamford Bridge, as reported by Delaney, until there’s a further statement from the authority.
West Ham are due to face the Blues on 23 April. If the situation doesn’t improve, it seems unlikely that the Hammers fans will be allowed to enter the stadium.
If the Hammers stay in touch with other potential top-four rivals by that time, the match could hold an extra significance.
The message from the British government is pretty clear, and football comes as here as secondary compared to what’s going on in Ukraine.
In other West Ham news, Europa League opponents Sevilla are also struggling with injuries as eight senior stars are ruled out.
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