Telecommunications firm Three have confirmed that they are suspending their £40m-a-year shirt sponsorship deal with Chelsea in the wake of the sanctions imposed on Blues owner Roman Abramovich.
The billionaire has had his assets frozen in the UK in the wake of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Three’s logo will now be removed from Chelsea shirts and from advertising boards around Stamford Bridge with immediate effect and until further notice.
The recent developments at Stamford bridge will be compounded with the fact that a number of key first-team players are set to depart for free.
Included are club captain Cesar Azpilicueta and key central defenders Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, whose contracts are set to expire this summer.
Abramovich was one of seven oligarchs to be hit with an asset freeze, not only making his plan to sell the club impossible but also having significant ramifications on the side’s day-to-day functions.
Chelsea’s status as a ‘significant cultural asset’ has seen the club granted a special licence to continue playing, with their Premier League clash against Norwich on Thursday night going ahead as planned.
Abramovich will be deprived of any profits, however, with the club also banned from selling match tickets or signing new players moving forward.