Sports

Ukraine: Chelsea’s Bank Account Suspended By Barclays

Published

4 years ago

March 11, 2022

Chelsea’s bank account has been temporarily suspended by Barclays in the wake of Roman Abramovich being sanctioned by the UK government.

The club’s credit cards have also temporarily been suspended.

The reason behind the suspension is that the bank requires time to assess the licence Chelsea have been given to continue football-related activities, Skysports reports.

Chelsea are hopeful the suspension will be lifted shortly.

The UK government on Thursday gave Chelsea a licence to continue with football-related activities after Abramovich had “his assets frozen, a prohibition on transactions with UK individuals and businesses, a travel ban and transport sanctions” imposed on him.

The sanctions are intended to stop the 55-year-old from making any money in the UK, but the government has granted Chelsea a special licence to allow fixtures to be fulfilled, staff to be paid and existing ticket holders to attend matches.

However, Chelsea cannot offer new contracts to players or staff, conduct any transfer business or sell new tickets to matches as things stand.

Chelsea are scheduled to play Newcastle United, live on Sky Sports, on Sunday.

“Barclays suspending Chelsea’s bank account is going to have serious, serious repercussions for the club.

“The issue Barclays have got is that the bank account is in the name of Chelsea but the owner is still Roman Abramovich, who has been sanctioned by the UK Government.

“Nobody in the UK is allowed to do any business with Abramovich. Chelsea have a special licence to carry on their football-related activities but Barclays have to be sure they are comfortable taking the risk of carrying on providing banking services to Chelsea. Most banks are very risk-averse.

“They do not want to do business with people that have been sanctioned by a government. Just because the UK Government say Chelsea can continue to carry on and play games it doesn’t mean Barclays are going to be comfortable with that arrangement. It’s well within their rights to withdraw banking services completely. But this is a temporary suspension and Chelsea are hopeful the suspension will be lifted shortly.

“The bank will want to be sure that Chelsea are spending the money on what the government have allowed them to.”

Sports

AFCON 2025: Lookman Scores Winner As Super Eagles Start Campaign With 2–1 Victory Over Tanzania

Published

1 day ago

December 23, 2025

Editor

Ademola Lookman scored what proved to be the decisive goal as Nigeria beat Tanzania 2-1 in their opening game at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Super Eagles came into the match as heavy favourites to win and dominated the opening exchanges.

After coming close a few times, the three-time champions took the lead through Semi Ajayi.

The ball was recycled following a corner-kick, before Alex Iwobi crossed it into the area for Ajayi to head home.

Tanzania equalized after Charles M’Mombwa found himself unmarked inside the area.

But two minutes later, Nigeria struck the winner through Lookman, who took a few touches and finished with his left foot.

Sports

JUST IN: Dembélé Named FIFA Best Men’s Player, Bonmatí Wins Women’s Award

Published

1 week ago

December 16, 2025

Editor

Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé has been awarded the FIFA Best Men’s Player for 2025, following a season in which he contributed significantly to both his club and the France national team.

Dembélé, known for his pace, creativity, and goal-scoring ability, played a central role in Paris Saint-Germain’s campaigns across domestic and European competitions. His performances for the national team also helped France secure notable results in international fixtures.

Speaking on the recognition, Dembélé said, “It is a great honour to receive this award. I could not have achieved this without my teammates at PSG and in the national team, whose support has been invaluable.”

In the women’s category, Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí was named FIFA Best Women’s Player for 2025. Bonmatí was influential in Barcelona’s domestic and European campaigns, providing leadership, vision, and creativity in midfield. She also played a key role in Spain’s international successes.

“This award reflects the hard work of my teammates and coaches,” Bonmatí said. “I am grateful for their guidance and support throughout the season.”

The announcements reaffirm FIFA’s recognition of individual excellence in football while highlighting the contributions of players to both club and country.

Sports

Court Fixes Date To Hear Sala Compensation Dispute

Published

2 weeks ago

December 9, 2025

Editor

A commercial court examining the long-running dispute between Cardiff City and French club Nantes over compensation for the death of Emiliano Sala in a plane crash said Monday it would give its decision on March 30 next year.

Sala, a 28-year-old Argentine striker, died when the light aircraft taking him to the Welsh capital came down in the English Channel on January 21, 2019, two days after he had signed for the then-Premier League side. He and pilot David Ibbotson were killed.

The Welsh club took the case to the Nantes commercial court in 2023 to claim compensation for loss of income and other damages suffered by the club as a result of the player’s death.

Following an analysis conducted by an expert appointed by Cardiff City, the club estimated their losses at over 120 million euros ($139.5 million). Lawyers for both clubs made their cases at Monday’s hearing.

The Welsh club argue that Nantes, through their intermediary, agent Willie McKay, were the organisers of the private flight on which the footballer was travelling and that, if the transfer was effective at the time of the accident according to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), it is the organisation of this flight that is at issue.

Cardiff City’s lawyer, Olivier Loizon, told the court Monday, Willie McKay “could not have been unaware of the illegality of the flight”, and argued that the agent had acted with “negligence”.

“Whatever the ultimate cause of the accident, (Sala) should not have been on the flight,” he added.

Nantes’ lawyer, Jerome Marsaudon, insisted Monday the only agent authorised by the club in connection with the transfer was Mark McKay, the son of Willie McKay.

The elder McKay “was simply helping his son, given his extensive experience”, the lawyer said.

“It is sad to see that Cardiff have exploited this tragedy and turned it into a genuine legal farce,” he added. “Nothing in this case justifies holding FC Nantes liable.”

Prior to the start of the hearing, a Nantes representative said the club “have no doubt that Cardiff’s claims will be rejected outright, just like all the others”.

In another case related to the dispute between the two clubs, CAS ruled in 2022 that Sala’s transfer had definitely been finalised at the time of his death.

In 2023, world football’s governing body FIFA ordered Cardiff to pay Nantes the balance of Sala’s transfer fee, which at the time amounted to just over 11 million euros out of a total of 17 million euros.