UK Government Threatens Legal Action Over Abramovich’s Chelsea Sale — But Is It Going Too Far?
The UK government has warned it is ready to take Roman Abramovich to court in a bid to seize the £2.5 billion raised from the sale of Chelsea Football Club — a move that’s raising eyebrows over whether the government is overstepping its bounds.
The proceeds from the 2022 sale have been frozen in a UK bank account ever since Abramovich, the former Chelsea owner, was sanctioned following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While the government insists the money should go solely toward humanitarian aid in Ukraine, Abramovich maintains that the funds should support all victims of the war — including those on both sides of the conflict.
The dispute has hit a stalemate, with the UK government growing increasingly frustrated over the lack of resolution. Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Foreign Secretary David Lammy released a joint statement making their intentions clear: “While the door for negotiations will remain open, we are fully prepared to pursue this through the courts if required.”
They continued, “The government is determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine, following Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion. We are deeply frustrated that it has not been possible to reach agreement on this with Mr Abramovich so far.”
However, it's important to remember that Abramovich didn’t profit from the sale — he was granted a special license to sell Chelsea on the condition that he would not receive any financial gain. And despite being sanctioned, the £2.5 billion still legally belongs to him. When announcing his intention to sell the club, Abramovich was clear that the proceeds would go to a foundation benefiting all victims of the war in Ukraine, not just those within its borders.
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The government’s insistence that it controls how that money is spent — despite it not being theirs to begin with — raises serious concerns. After all, Chelsea was Abramovich’s private property. Agree or not with how he made his money or his political associations, he bought the club, funded it for years, and voluntarily gave it up under unprecedented pressure. Now, it seems the government wants to dictate not just the terms of the sale, but how his donation is distributed.
A report from a House of Lords committee last year added to the pressure, calling the delay “incomprehensible” and saying it “reflects badly on both Mr Abramovich and the government, which ought to have pushed for a more binding commitment.”
But the reality is, Abramovich did make a public commitment — to help all victims. That may not align with the UK government’s political stance, but it does show an attempt to treat war victims as human beings first, not political assets.
While no one is defending the Russian invasion, nor ignoring Abramovich’s alleged ties to President Putin (which he denies), the principle at stake here is ownership and intent. The government appears to be reaching beyond its remit, trying to control money it doesn’t own, from a sale it approved, based on terms that were laid out at the time.
If this ends up in court, the legal battle could set a precedent on how far governments can go in seizing private assets — even when they are meant for charitable causes. For now, the situation remains locked in a frustrating standstill.
Abramovich’s gesture, however imperfect, was one of the few from sanctioned Russian elites aimed at helping civilians affected by the war. For the government to risk derailing that entirely may do more harm than good — especially for those still waiting for aid in Ukraine.
