UK government may sue Roman Abramovich over £2.5bn Chelsea sale funds

Updated: 04 Jun, 2025 • 0 • min read

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UK government may sue Roman Abramovich over £2.5bn Chelsea sale funds

Photo: PA

The UK government has announced it is "fully prepared" to sue former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich in a bid to unlock the £2.5 billion proceeds from the 2022 sale of the club, which remain frozen due to post-sale sanctions.

Abramovich, who owned Chelsea for nearly 20 years, agreed to sell the Premier League side in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

At the time, he pledged to donate all proceeds to a charitable foundation to support victims of the war, regardless of nationality.

However, just weeks later, the UK sanctioned Abramovich over his alleged ties to the Kremlin, freezing all his UK assets, including the Chelsea sale money.

The funds have since remained locked in a UK bank account while plans to establish an approved charity to distribute them have repeatedly stalled.

Frustration Boils Over

The UK government, now led by Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Foreign Secretary David Lammy, issued a sharp statement on Monday expressing their frustration with the ongoing deadlock.

The government is determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine.

We are fully prepared to pursue this through the courts if required.

Despite attempts at negotiation, the Labour-led administration insists the money can only be released for humanitarian aid in Ukraine, as per UK sanctions law.

Disbursement depends on approval from the Charity Commission and a licence from the Office for Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) - both of which are contingent on a compliant charitable structure being established.

Abramovich Camp Disputes Claim

Representatives for Abramovich have accused the government of moving the goalposts after the sale, alleging the criteria for disbursement became more restrictive post-transaction.

They claim this has delayed progress in forming the required foundation.

The government has rejected these claims, though, saying there will be no compromise on the condition that 100 percent of the funds must go directly to Ukrainian relief efforts.

With public and political pressure mounting, the Treasury and Foreign Office are understood to be in the final stages of preparing a legal route forward.

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